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GREAT 


ARCTIC TRAVELLERS 


A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF 

Arctic and Antarctic Discovery, and Adventure 


By HUGH CRAIG 

Author of “Great African Travellers/’ Etc. 


WITH PORTRAITS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS 



GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited 

New York : 9 Lafayette Place 
London, Glasgow and Manchester 


IN UNIFORM STYLE. 

History of the United States. 
History of England. 

Great African Travellers. 

Great Arctic Travellers. 

Life of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
Out-Door Sports for Boys {and 
Girls). 

Each i6o pages, quarto. With numerous 
illustrations. Boards, lithographed double 
cover, each, 75 cents. 

GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, Limited. 

New York : 9 Lafayette Place ; 

London, Glasgow and Manchester. 


CoFYKlGHTBO, 1891, BV JOSEPH L. BlaMIBS. 







INTRODUCTION. 


One of the most distinct and easily seen groups 
' of stars is that which is sometimes called in this 
country “The Dipper,” but more commonly here 
and in Europe is known as the “ Great Bear.” 
Its well-defined form, and the bright stars which 
are seen in it, attracted attention in the earliest 
ages, and it was at once noticed that it, alone of 
all the other groups of stars, never set in the ocean. 
It was further noticed by our primitive ancestors 
that near this Great Bear there was another 
smaller group of stars, just as many in number, 
and disposed in very nearly the same figure, but 
in reverse position, and that around the brightest 
star of this Little Bear the whole firmament seemed 
to revolve. As- the Greek word for Bear is 
Arcios, this region of the sky, in which the fancy 
of our earliest forefathers imagined that they 
could trace among the scattered lights that 
sparkled there the figures of the Great and Little 
Bears, was described as Arctic, and the same word 
j Arctic was naturally given to the part of the earth 
that seemed nearest to the Bear, 
i When men learned that the world was a globe or 
sphere, and revolved on its axis, it was seen that if 
' this axis were long enough to reach the heavens, 

' the northern end would pass through one of the 
; stars in the Little Bear; and as this end of the 
! earth’s imaginary axis is called The North Pole, 

\ the star which it would touch if prolonged, w'as 
j named the Pole-Star. The other end of the 
! imaginary axis is called the South Pole, and the 
f>ortion of the globe surrounding it, and the por- 
! tion of the heavens above it, receive the name of 
Antarctic, or “opposite to Arctic.” On our maps 
and globes there are -as you know—several circles 
drawn; the Equator cuts the globe in two in the 
middle, and each side is a circle parallel to the 
equator called a Tropic, and the region of the 
earth’s surface between these circles is commonly 


described as tropical, because it is between the 
Tropics. Two other circles near the two poles are 
likewise drawn on our globes and maps. They are 
each distant 23^” from their respective poles, and 
they are called the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. 
Within each of these circles there is a period of 
the year when the Sun never sets, and another 
period when he is never visible. The nearer you 
travel to either pole, the longer is each successive 
period, till at the poles themselves a day of six 
months is succeeded by a night of six months' 
length. 

The Arctic Ocean lies to the north of Europe, 
Asia, and North America, and surrounds the North 
Pole, The influence of the Gulf Stream, however, 
creates a comparatively mild climate off the coasts 
of Norway, a considerable distance within the 
Arctic Circle, while on the other hand, along the 
east coast of Greenland, and through Davis 
Strait, the Arctic currents bring dowm the Arctic 
conditions, a long way into the Atlantic, some dis¬ 
tance outside the Circle. The Norwegian Sea and 
Greenland Sea, lying between Norway and Green¬ 
land, belong to the same basin as the Arctic Ocean, 
being cut off from the Atlantic by ridges stretching 
between Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands 
and the North of Scotland, which have an average 
depth of two hundred and forty fathoms over 
them. If the Arctic Ocean is considered to lie 
w’holly within the Arctic Circle, then it is almost 
land-locked between that Circle and the parallel of 
70° North. It communicates with the Pacific by 
Behring Strait, and with the Atlantic through 
Davis Strait, and the wide sea between Norway 
and Greenland. The area of the Ocean is about 
five million five hundred thousand square miles, 
and about eight million six hundred thousand 
square miles of land drain into it. The rainfall 
on this land is estimated at two thousand one 

iii 




IV 


IN TROD UCTJON. 


hundred cubic miles a year. The coast of Asia 
and Europe are low, and have several deep inden¬ 
tations, the principal being the Gulf of Obi and 
the White Sea; whilst the North American shores 
are skirted by a most irregular assemblage of 
islands, forming numerous gulfs, bays and channels, 
the largest being Baffin’s Bay. The principal 
islands of the Arctic Ocean are Greenland, 
Spitzbergen, Franz-Josef Land, Nova Zembla, New 
Siberia, Wrangel Island, Melville Island, Banks 
Land, Grinnell Land, etc. The principal rivers 
from Asia are the Lena, Yenesei and Obi; from 
Europe, the Onega, Dwina and Petchora; from 
America, the Mackenzie and the Yukon. The 
Arctic highlands are covered with enormous 
depths of snow and ice, in many places resulting 
in the formation of great glaciers, one of the most 
remarkable of which is the Humboldt Glacier, in 
79° N. latitude, on the west coast of Greenland. 
The whole ocean is covered by immense ice-fields, 
from five to fifty feet in thickness. These are 
bound together, during the winter, by the severe 
frost, but break up in summer into floes and floe- 
bergs. Sometimes vast sheets of water and long 
canals are formed between the floes and ice-fields, 
and these have doubtless given rise to the idea of 
there being an open sea at the North Pole. When 
these enormous ice-fields come into collision in 
winter, their margins are piled up one on the top 
of the other, and thus produce what are called 
hummocky ice-floes. In the more open parts of 
the ocean the ice is always moving. Immense 
quantities of field and hummocky ice float down 
each year between Spitzbergen and Greenland, and 
Iceland and Greenland, blocking almost continually 
these waters. Whole pine-trees are not uncom¬ 
monly found frozen in this ice, which most proba¬ 
bly, have been carried right across the Pole, after 
having been swept into the Arctic Ocean by the 
rivers of the two hemispheres. Great fresh-water 
ponds and lakes are formed on the ice-fields in 
summer by rain and melting snow. This forms 
'"black ice" when frozen, contrasting strongly with 
“white ice" formed from the salt water. The 
whalers supply themselves with fresh water by 
picking up the “ black ice.” 

Throughout the whole of the Arctic Basin, ice- 
cold water is found from surface to bottom, 
except off the Norwegian shores, where it is met 
with at depths varying from four hundred to six 
hundred fathoms beneath the surface. This cold 
Arctic water penetrates the Farbe Channel at the 
bottom as far as the North of Scotland, where it is 


stopped by a ridge running thence to the Faroe 
Islands; on the north of this ridge, at a depth of 
four hundred and five hundred fathoms, there is a 
temperature of 30° F,; while at the south side, at 
the same depths, the temperature is 45° F. The 
width of this ridge is about ten miles, and on it 
there is a depth of two hundred and fifty fathoms. 
The warm Gulf Stream water passes over this 
ridge, and on by the coasts of Norw’ay, rendering 
its northern shores and those of Lapland relatively 
mild and habitable, the July temperature off the 
North Cape being 47° F. The Ocean appears to be 
shallow to the north of Europe and Asia, the depth, 
five hundred miles to the north of the Lena, being 
but thirty-eight fathoms; only seventy-two fathoms 
are found at the most northerly point of the 
American coast. Between Spitzbergen and Lap- 
land the depths are from one hundred to two 
hundred fathoms; but between Spitzbergen and 
the north of Greenland, there is a deep opening 
in the frozen sea, where the depth is two thousand 
five hundred fathoms. Between Norway, Iceland 
and Greenland the depths are sometimes over two 
thousand fathoms, and generally in the central 
parts over one thousand fathoms. The depths in 
Behring Strait are less than one hundred 
fathoms. South-w'^esterly winds prevail along the 
Norwegian Coast and as far as Franz-Josef Land; 
to the westw'ard of this line, on the American 
shores, north-easterly winds prevail. In winter, 
winds blow from Northern Asia to the Arctic 
Ocean; in summer, from the ocean to the land. 
The direction of the winds over the Arctic Ocean 
at different seasons is controlled by the positions 
of the barometric maxima and minima in the 
north parts of Asia and the North Atlantic. Fogs 
and mists are of most frequent occurrence during i 
the six months of day and summer. In winter, ‘ 
the temperature of the air is sometimes as low as 
47° F., and in summer is usually a little above 
freezing point. 

Such is a brief sketch of what is known at pres¬ 
ent respecting the Arctic regions, and the difficul¬ 
ties that the explorer has to surmount. 

In the Ancient World little was known, and 
little interest felt in the cold and snow-clad coun¬ 
tries of the North. The Greeks had traditions of 
a people dwelling in the far North, whom they 
called Hyperboreans, and who were said to dwell 
on the shores of an ocean that encircled the world. 1 
Herodotus, the historian, when he recounts this 
story adds that as it involves the assumption that 
the world is round, it need not be seriously dis- 



IN TROD UCTION. 


V 


cussed. As long as these views were held by men no 
attempts at exploration were made, and not till 
the rotundity of the earth was established, were 
systematic attempts made to sail around the globe 
in the Northern waters. The first veritable voyage 
of discovery to explore the unknown lands of the 
North was undertaken by a Norwegian named 
Othere. He was a bold seaman of an adventurous 
disposition, and seems to have travelled far and 
wide, and in the course of one of his journeys he 
came to England and was received by the famous 
King Alfred. It is supposed by some patriotic 
souls that Alfred had sent Othere out on his voyage 
of discovery. This, however, is improbable, and at 
all events is not at all in harmony with the spirit 
of those times. Others suppose Othere was a pris¬ 
oner of war captured at the battle of Ashdown; 
others content themselves with regarding him as a 
visitor. It is enough to know that sometime in 
the twenty-five years of King Alfred’s reign, that 
is, between a.d. 871-896, Othere was in Eng¬ 
land and spun for the King a lot of what seamen 
call “yarns.” Alfred, who was then engaged in 
compiling a “ History of the World” in the English 
tongue, reports at length his interview with Othere. 
Longfellow has told the incident in verse, but, as a 
curious piece of old-world history, we give the prose 
narrative, which was as follows ; 

“Othere told his lord. King Alfred, that he 
dwelt northmost of all the Northmen. He said 
that he dwelt in the land to the northward, along 
the West Sea; he said, however, that that land is 
very long north from thence, but it is all waste, 
except in a few places where the Fins at times 
dwell, hunting in the winter, and in the summer 
fishing in that sea. He said that he was desirous to 
try, once on a time, how far that country extended 
due north, or whether any one lived to the north 
waste. He then went due north along the country, 
leaving all the way, the waste land on the right, 
and the wide sea on the left. After three days he 
was as far north as the whale-hunters go at the 
farthest. Then he proceeded in his course due 
north, as far as he could sail within another three 
days; then the land there inclined due east, or the 
sea into the land, he knew not which ; but he knew 
that he waited there for a west wind or a little 
rvorth, and sailed thence eastward along that land 
as far as he could sail in four days. Then he had 
to wait for a due north wind because the land 
inclined there due south, or the sea in on that 
land, he knew not which. He then sailed along 
the coast due south, as far as he could sail in five 


days. There lay a great river up in that jand; 
they then turned in that river, because they durst 
not sail on up the river on account of hostility, 
because all that country was inhabited on the 
other side of the river. He had not before met 
with any land that was inhabited since he left his 
own home; but all the way he had waste land on 
his right, except some fishermen, fowlers and hun¬ 
ters, all of whom were Fins, and he had constantly 
a wide sea to the left.” 

Othere seems by this account to have reached 
the river Dwina in Russia. Then for centuries we 
hear nothing of the Northern seas, and six hundred 
years had to elapse before Othere found a successor 
in Hugh Willoughby, the English sailor of Alfred’s 
successor, Edward VI, who sailed from London in 
1553 in hopes to reach India by a northern route. 

There had always been carried to Europe stories 
of Indians who had been driven ashore on the 
western coasts of that continent. Q. Metellus 
Celer, the Roman Governor of Gaul in the year 62 
before Christ, received from the King of the Suevi 
some Indians, who had been thrown by storms on 
the shore of Germany. Pope Pius II in his “Cos¬ 
mography,” printed in 1509, writes : “ I have myself 
read that in the time of the German Emperor an 
Indian vessel and Indian merchants were driven by 
storm to the German coasts. Certain it is they 
came from the East, which had not been possible, 
if, as many suppose, the North Sea was unnavig- 
able and frozen.” The Spanish historian Gomara 
adds that these Indians stranded at Liibeck, in 
the time of Frederick Barbarossa, who was Emperor 
from 1152 to 1190. Whatever kind of people these 
so-called Indians may have been, such stories kept 
alive the belief that India could be reached by a 
northern voyage. Now to reach India, the sup¬ 
posed land of gold and diamonds and spices and 
all sorts of treasures, was, at the close of the middle 
ages, the longing of all adventurous souls. To 
reach this fabled storehouse of wealth the Portu¬ 
guese had sailed south along the African coast and 
rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and it was with 
the hope of finding a more direct passage to the 
golden East that Columbus set sail from Spain. 
With America discovered by the Spaniards, and 
with the Portuguese commanding the road round 
Africa, men began to ponder over these old stories 
of Indian shipwreck in Germany, and resolved to 
seek the land of promise by new roads. The first 
to excite to voyages of discovery in the polar 
regions was an Englishman, Robert Morse, who 
had lived for a long time at Seville. He urged his 


vi 


IN TROD UCTION. 


own King, Henry VIII, in 1527 to undertake such 
expeditions, as all other countries had been ex¬ 
plored by the Spaniards and Portuguese. He 
argued that after reaching the Pole, one could turn 
to the East, and first passing the land of the Tar¬ 
tars, get to China, the Indies, the Cape of Good 
Hope, and thus circumnavigate “ the whole world 
he also suggested a north-western route by sailing 
“along the back of Newfoundland” and returning 
by the Straits of Magellan. Either of these routes 
would lie beyond the maritime supremacy of Spain 
and Portugal, and this is the explanation of the 
zeal with which the Dutch and English sent out 
vessels to find India and China by the North-west 
or North passage. The two famous sailors, John 
Cabot and his son Sebastian, had set out from 
England and the former discovered Newfoundland 
in 1497, and the latter in 1517 reached the expanse 
of water now called Hudson’s Bay. In 1548 he was 
appointed by King Edw’ard VI superintendent of 
the Navy, and in 1551 organized in London “The 
Association of Merchant Adventurers,” and under 
its auspices Sir Hugh Willoughby, a brave soldier, 
was despatched with a little fleet. 

Sir Hugh Willoughby’s, in 1553, was thus the 
first maritime expedition undertaken on a large 
scale, which was sent from England to far distant 
seas. The equipment of the vessels was carried 
out with great care under the superintendence of 
Sebastian Cabot, who also gave the commander 
precise instructions how he should behave in the 
different incidents of the voyage. Some of these 
instructions now indeed appear rather childish, for 
instance Article 30: “ Item, if you shall see them 
[the foreigners met with during the voyage] weare 
Lyons or Bears skinnes, having long bowes, and 
arrowes, be not afraid of that sight; for such be 
worne oftentimes more to feare strangers, than for 
any other cause,” but others might still be used as 
rules for every well-ordered exploratory expedition. 
Sir Hugh besides obtained from Edw'ard VI an 
open letter, written in Latin, Greek, and several 
other languages, in which it was stated that dis¬ 
coveries and the making of commercial treaties 
were the sole objects of the expedition; and the 
people, with whom the expedition might come in 
contact, were requested to treat Sir Hugh Will¬ 
oughby as they themselves would wish to be 
treated in case they should come to England. So 
sanguine were the promoters of the voyage of its 
success in reaching the Indian seas by this route, 
that they caused the ships that were placed at Sir 
Hugh Willoughby’s disposal to be sheathed with 


lead in order to protect them from the attacks of 
teredo and other worms. These vessels were:—(i) 
The Bmtta Esperanza, admiral of the fleet, of one 
hundred and twenty tons burden, on board of which 
was Sir Hugh Willoughby, himself, as captain-gen¬ 
eral of the fleet. The number of persons in this ship, 
including Willoughby, the master of the vessel, 
William Gefferson, and six merchants, was thirty- 
five. (2) The Edward Bonavetiture, of one hun¬ 
dred and sixty tons burden, the command of which 
was given to Richard Chancelor, captain and 
pilot-major of the fleet. There w’ere on board 
this vessel fifty men, including two merchants. 
Among the crew whose names are given in Hak¬ 
luyt we find the name of Stephen Burrough, after¬ 
wards renowned in the history of the north-east 
passage, and that of Arthur Pet. (3) The Buona 
Confidencza, of ninety tons, under command of 
Cornelius Durfoorth, with twenty-eight men, 
including three merchants. The expense of fit¬ 
ting out the vessels amounted to a sum of 
six thousand pounds, divided into shares of 
twenty-five pounds. Sir Hugh Willoughby was 
chosen commander “ both by reason of his 
goodly personage (for he was of tall stature) as 
also for his singular skill in the services of warre.” 
In order to ascertain the nature of the lands of 
the East, two “Tartars” who were employed at the 
royal stables were consulted, but without any infor¬ 
mation being obtained from them. The ships left 
Ratcliffe (now best known from Ratcliffe Highway 
in the east end of London) the 20th of Mny, 1553. 
They were towed down by the boats, “the marin¬ 
ers being appareled in watchet or skie coloured 
cloth,” with a favorable wind to Greenwich, 
where the court then was. The king being unwell 
could not be present, but “ the courtiers came run¬ 
ning out, and the common people flockt together, 
standing very thicke upon the shoare; the Privie 
Consel, they lookt out at the windowes of the 
court, and the rest ran up to the toppes of the 
towers; the shippes did hereupon discharge their 
ordinance, and shoot off their pieces after the 
maner of warre, and of the sea, insomuch that the 
tops of the hills sounded therewith, the valleys and 
the water gave an echo, and the mariners they 
shouted in such sort, that the skie rang again with 
the noise thereof,” All was joy and triumph; it 
seemed as if men foresaw that the greatest mari¬ 
time power the history of the world can show was 
that day born. 

But alas! for human hopes. The first of Arctic 
expeditions was the first of Arctic failures. A storm 


IN TROD UCTION. 


struck the little fleet on the coast of Norway and 
the Edward Bonaventure was separated from her 
companions. It is supposed that the Buona Sper- 
anzaa.ndBuona Confidencia touched at Nova Zembla, 
and on September i8, put back south and reached 
East Lapland. Of the further fate of Sir Hugh 
Willoughby and his sixty-two companions, we know 
only that during the course of the winter they all 
perished, doubtless of scurvy. The journal of the 
commander ends with the statement that immedi¬ 
ately after the arrival of the vessel three men were 
sent south, south-west, three west, and three south¬ 
east to search if they could find people, but that 
they all returned “ without finding of people, 
or any similitude of habitation.” The following 
year Russian fishermen, found at the wintering 
station the ships and dead bodies of those who had 
thus perished, together with the journal from which 
the extract given above is taken, and a will wit¬ 
nessed by Willoughby, from which it appeared that 
he himself and most of the company of the two 
ships were alive in January. 1554. The two vessels, 
together with Willoughby’s corpse, were sent to 
England in 1555 by the merchant George Killing- 
worth. The third vessel, the Edward Bonaventure, 
commanded by Chancelor, had, on the contrary, a 
successful voyage, and one of great importance for 
the commerce of the world. As has been already 
stated, Chancelor was separated from his com¬ 
panions during a storm in August. He now sailed 
alone to Vardolhus. After waiting there seven 
days for Sir Hugh Willoughby, he set out again, 
resolutely determined “ either to bring that to passe 
which was intended, or else to die the death and 
though “ certaine Scottishmen” earnestly attempted 
to persuade him to return, “ hee held on his course 
towards that unknowm part of the world, and sailed 
so farre that hee came at last to the place where 
hee found no night at all, but a continuall light and 
bnghtnesse of the sunne shining clearly upon the 


vii 

huge and mighty sea.” In this w'ay he finally 
reached the mouth of the river Dwina, in the White 
Sea, where a small monastery was then standing at 
the place where Archangel is now situated. By 
friendly treatment he soon won the confidence of 
the inhabitants, who received him with great hos¬ 
pitality. From Archangel he proceeded to Moscow, 
where he was welcomed by the Czar Ivan IV., w'ho 
urged him to repeat his voyage. In the following 
year Chancelor again sailed from England for 
Archangel, but perished on the coast of Scotland 
on his return voyage in 1556. In 1564, Burrough, 
who had been in Chancelor’s ship the Bonaventure 
in Willoughby’s expedition discovered a channel 
between Nova Zembla and the mainland, and in 
1580, the “Merchant Adventurers Company” sent 
out two ships under Arthur Pet and Charles Jack- 
man. Pet, who, like Burrough, had been with 
Chancelor, reached the Kane Sea, but found the 
pack ice too thick for him to force his way through. 
His report of the difficulties he encountered led to 
the temporary abandonment of attempts to reach 
China by the north-east coast, 

Willoughby and Chancelor, Burrough and Pet, 
we see had turned their sight along the coast of 
Russia, and were the pioneers of the North-east 
passage. The next bold explorer, encouraged by 
Jacques Cartier’s success in Canada resolved to seek 
China by the North-W'est route. This was Martin 
Frobisher, who had been convinced by the famous 
Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Richard Mills, that it 
was no more difficult to find this passage than to 
discover the Straits of Magellan. Gilbert’s argument 
was that America was an island, the Atlantis of 
Plato: that Cabot had found an open sea as far 
north as Labrador, and that a Mexican friar Ur- 
daneta had actually made the passage. It was then 
no mere prospecting voyage but an expedition 
with a definite task before it that we have now 
to relate. 



3 

n 

i 

1 

I 

i 

3 


V 



CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

MARTIN FROBISHER (1577)—JOHN DAVIS (1585). i 

CHAPTER II. 

HENRY HUDSON (1609)—WILLIAM BAFFIN (1616). 12 

CHAPTER III. 

WILLIAM BARENTZ (1596). 28 

CHAPTER IV. 

V. BEHRING AND BEHRING STRAIT (1728). 34. 

CHAPTER V. 

ROSS—PARRY—BACK—RICHARDSON—FRANKLIN—THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN_ 41 


CHAPTER VT. 

THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE (1852). 55 

CHAPTER VII. 

DR. HAYES (1860-1869). 70 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE GERMAN EXPEDITION (1869-1870). 82 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE '< POLARIS ” EXPEDITION (1864). 92 

CHAPTER X. 

THE SEARCH FOR THE “POLARIS”. 100 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION OF 1875—THE “ALERT” AND “DISCOVERY”. 104 

CHAPTER XII. 

DISCOVERIES OF THE “ TEGETTHOFF ” (1872-1874). 112 















IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

NORTHEAST PASSAGE—THE “VEGA” (1878-1879). 125 

CHAPTER XIV. 

VOYAGE OF THE “JEANETTE” (1879-1881)... 140 

CHAPTER XV. 

LIEUTENANT GREELY, AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION (1881-1884). 150 

CHAPTER XVI. 

NANSEN (1884) AND PEARY (1891). 161 

ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. 164 


CHAPTER XVII. 

CAPTAIN WILKES (1840).. 165 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

CAPTAIN SIR JAMES ROSS (1840-1843). 174 




















GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS 


CHAPTER I. 

MARTIN FROBISHER (1577)—JOHN DAVIS (1585). 



Martin Frobisher was born in Yorkshire, near 
Doncaster, about the year 1535, and, as a boy, was 
sent to sea. After the rough experiences that a lad 
would undergo in those days, in the unwieldy, ill-pro¬ 
visioned.ships of those days, he became a trader and a 
sailor, and made voyages to the coast of Guinea and 
elsewhere. As stated in the Introduction, he was 
strongly impressed by the arguments of Sir Humphrey 
Gilbert, and became convinced of the possibility of 
effecting a passage to China and India by sailing a 
north-west course round the continent of America. 


Among his friends was a certain Michael Lok, a 
merchant of wealth and influence, and ready, like mer¬ 
chants then and now, to enter into schemes that 
promised to extend his business. Lok was also an 
indefatigable student of geography, and eagerly 
recorded the plans of Frobisher, whose adviser and 
backer he became. Another friend of the Yorkshire 
sailor was the famous Dr. Dee, the Rosicrucian and 
Alchemist, who was a good astronomer and well versed 
in navigation, as well as possessed of great geograph¬ 
ical knowledge. The resources, however, of these 
three friends were unequal to the task of equipping a 
fleet for such a dangerous and uncertain voyage, and, 
therefore, they applied to men of wealth in London, 
and of influence at the court of Queen Elizabeth, and 
had the good fortune of enlisting in their favor the 
good will of Ambrose Dudley, the Earl of Warwick. 
By the pecuniary aid of these supporters, Frobisher was 
enabled to build and fit out two vessels. They were 
new ships built expressly for the undertaking, of about 
twenty tons each, and were called after the Archangels 
Gabriel and Michael, and the crew consisted of 
thirty-five men and boys. In these days of ocean 
steamers of three thousand and four thousand, and 
even seven thousand tons, we can hardly realize that 
men set out to cross the Atlantic and to pene¬ 
trate into unknown seas, in vessels not much larger or 
more seaworthy than the cat-boats and pleasure 
boats we see on your bays and rivers in the fine days 
of summer. 

It was with means thus feeble that the intrepid 
navigator went to encounter the ice in localities which 
had never been visited since the time of the Northmen. 
Setting out from Deptford on the 8th of June, 1576, he 
sighted the south of Greenland, which he took for the 
















2 


GREAT ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


Frisland of Zeno. Soon stopped by the ice he was 
obliged to return to Labrador without being able to 
land there, and he entered Hudson’s Straits. After 
having coasted along Savage and Resolution Islands, 
he entered a strait which has received his name, but 
which is also called by some geographers Lunley’s 
Inlet. He landed at Cumberland, took possession of 
the country in the name of Queen Elizabeth, and 
entered into some relations with the natives. The 
cold increased rapidly and he was obliged to return 
to England. Frobisheronly brought back some rather 
vague scientific and geographical details about the 
countries which he had visited; he received, however, 
a most flattering welcome when he showed a heavy 
black stone in which a little gold was supposed to be 
found. At once all imaginations were on fire, and 


lish sailors—islands of ice a mile and a half in circum¬ 
ference, floating mountains which were sunk seventy 
or eighty fathoms in the sea—such were the obstacles 
which prevented Frobisher from reaching, before the 
9th of August, the strait which he had discovered j 
during his previous voyage. The English took pos- ' 
session of the country and pursued, both upon land 
and sea, some poor Esquimaux, who, wounded “ in ; 
this encounter, jumped in despair from the tops of | 
the rocks into the sea,” says Forster in his “ Voyages 
in the North,” “which would not have happened if 
they had shown themselves more submissive, or if we 
could have made them understand that we were not 
their enemies.” A great quantity of stones, similar 
to that which had been brought to England, were 5 
soon discovered. They were of gold marcasite, and ^ 



A RECONNOISANCE. 


“ this kindled a great opinion in the hearts of many 
to advance the voyage again.” 

A company was formed, a charter was granted to 
Michael Lok and Martin Frobisher, and a second 
expedition was soon ready for sea. It consisted of 
three vessels—the Azd, of 240 tons, lent by the 
Queen, the Michael, and Gabriel. On board the Aid 
were the admiral himself, Martin Frobisher, his lieu¬ 
tenant, George Best, who was the historian of the 
voyage, and Christopher Hall, the master. The 
Gabriel was commanded by Edward Fenton, with 
William Smyth as master, and the Michael by Gil¬ 
bert Yorke. 

On the 31st of May, 1577, the expedition set sail, 
and soon sighted Greenland, of which the mountains 
were covered with snow and the shores defended by 
a rampart of ice. The weather was bad. Exceed¬ 
ingly dense fogs, as thick as pea-soup, said the Eng- 


200 tons of this substance was soon collected. To 
their delight, the English sailors set up a memorial 
column on a peak, to which they gave the name of 
WarickMount,and performed solemn acts of thanks 
giving. Frobisher afterwards went ninety miles 
further on in the same strait, as far as a small island, 
which received the name of Smith’s Island. There 
the English found two women of whom they took 
one with her child, but left the other on account of 
her extreme ugliness. Suspecting, so much did su¬ 
perstition and ignorance flourish at this time, that this 
woman had cloven feet, they made her take the cover¬ 
ings off her feet, to satisfy themselves that they really 
were made like their own. Frobisher, now perceiving 
that the cold was increasing and wishing to place the 
treasures which he thought he had collected in a 
place of safety, resolved to give up for the present 
any further search for the north-west passage. He 












FROBISHER—DA VIS, 


3 


then set sail for England, where he arrived at the end 
of September, after weathering a storm which dis¬ 
persed his fleet. The man, woman and child, who 
had been carried off, were presented to the Queen. 


' It is said, with regard to them, that the man, seeing 
^ at Bristol Frobisher’s trumpeter on horseback, 
wished to imitate him and mounted with his face 
j turned toward the tail of the animal. These savages 
■ were the objects of much curiosity, and obtained per- 
. mission from the Queen to shoot 
all kinds of birds, even swans, on 
j' the Thames, a thing which was 
forbidden to every one else under 
the most severe penalties. They 
did not long survive, and died 
^ before the child was fifteen months 
; old. 

The stones which Frobisher had 
brought back were pronounced by 
all men to contain gold. Perhaps 
we attribute the spread of this be¬ 
lief to Dr. Dee, who had long been 
in search of the philosopher’s 
stone that could change base met¬ 
als into more precious ones, and 
who even claimed to have turned 
into gold a piece of a brass warm¬ 
ing-pan. England thought she had 
found a new Eldorado as rich as 
that of Spain ; merchants and no¬ 
bles proffered assistance and even 
Queen Elizabeth herself caught the gold fever. She 
resolved to occupy the territory to which the name of 
Meta Incognita,"X.\\Q unknown boundary,” was given. 


and build there a fort which was to be garrisoned with 
one hundred men to protect their mines of gold. The 
one hundred men were carefully selected to form the 
beginning of a colony; there were bakers to prepare 
bread, carpenters and masons to 
build the fort and house, and gold 
refiners to reduce the ores; in 
fact, all classes of workmen were 
enrolled. A fleet of fifteen sail 
was assembled at Harwich on the 
27th of May, 1578, including the 
Aid, commanded by Frobisher 
himself; the Judith, Captain 
Fenton ; the Thomas Allen, Cap¬ 
tain York; the Ann Frances, 
Captain Best; the Moon, the Ga¬ 
briel, and Michael, and the Etn- 
jna, a buss of Bridgewater. This 
time Frobisher took the route 
down channel, and sighted his 
supposed Frisland on the 20th of 
June,towhich hegave the nameof 
“ West England.” He succeeded 
in effecting a landing, and took 
possession in the name of the Queen. Natives 
were seen, with dogs and tents closely resem¬ 
bling those of Meta Incognita. During the voy¬ 
age whales played around the ships in innumer¬ 
able schools. It is related that even one of 


the vessels, propelled by a favorable wind, struck 
against a whale with such force that the violence of 
the shock stopped the ship at once, and that the 




ICEBERG. 

































GREAT ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 



FISHING THROUGH THE ICE. 

whale, after uttering a loud cry, made a spring out of 
the water and then was suddenly swallowed up. Two 
days later the fleet met with a dead whale.which they 
thought must be the one struck by the Salamander. 
When Frobisher came to the entrance of the strait 
which had received his name, he found it blocked up 
with ice. ‘‘Thebarque Z>^««zj,one hundred tons,”says 
the old account of George Best,“received such ashock 
from an icebergthat she sank in sightof the wholefleet. 
Followinguponthiscatastrophe,asuddenandhorrible 
tempest arose from the south-east, the vessels were 
surrounded on all sides by the ice; they left much of 
it, between which they could pass, behind them, and 
found still more before them through which it was 
impossible for them to penetrate. Certain ships, 
either having found a place less blocked with ice, or 
one where it was possible to proceed, furled sails and 
drifted ; of the others, several stopped and cast their 
anchors upon a great island of ice. The latter were 
so rapidly enclosed by an infinite number of islets of 
ice and fragments of icebergs, that the English were 
obliged to resign themselves and their ships to the 
mercy of the ice, and to protect the ships with cables, 


cushions,mats, boards and all kinds of articles which ; 
were suspended to the sides in order to defend them j 
from the fearful shocks and blows of the ice.” Fro- j 
bisherhimself was thrown out of his course. Finding 
the impossibility of rallying his squadron, he sailed! 
along the west coast of Greenland, as far as the straitf 
which was soon to be called Davis’ Strait, and pene-' 
trated the Countess of Warwick Bay. When he had 
repaired his vessels with the wood which w’asto have;, 
been used in the building of a dwelling, he loaded the? ’ 
ships with 500 tons of stones similar to those which . 
he had already brought home. Judging the season to" ^ 
be then too far advanced, and considering also that i 
the provisions had been either consumedorlost in the> 
Dennis, that the wood for building had been used for 
repairing the vessels, and having lost forty men, hey 
set out on his return to England on the 31st of ' 
August. Tempests and storms accompanied him to 
the shores of his own country. As to the results of' 
hisexpeditionthey werealraost noneastodiscoveries, 
and the stones, which he had put on board in the^ 
midst of so many dangers, were valueless. j 

This was Frobisher’s last Arctic voyage. We hear ^ 
but little of him during the next few years.but in 1585 ' 
he commanded a vessel in Drake’s expedition to the® 


CHURCH CHILDREN. 

Westindies; did good service in the preparatory task 
of hamperingthe designsof Spain,and in thestruggle 
with the Armada covered himself with glory by his 
conduct in the Triumph, and was rewarded by the 
honor of knighthood. Frobisher next married a 
daughter of Lord Wentworth, and settled down as a 








IN THF ARCTIC OCFAN 





















































































































































































































































































































































6 


GREAT ARCTJC TRAVELLERS. 


country gentleman, but was soon again at the more 
congenial task of scouring the seas for the treasure- 
ships of Spain. At the siege of Crozon, near Brest, in 
the November of 1594, he received a wound, of which 
he died at Plymouth on the 22d of the same month. 

The next bold explorer of the frozen North was 
John Davis, whose fame is immortalized by the 
strait named after him—Davis Strait. 

John Davis was born at Sandridge,near Dartmouth, 
in the year 1550, or thereabouts. Not far from his 
birthplace was Greenway Court, the homeofjohnand 
Humphrey Gilbert, who were a few years older than 


ESQUIMAU DOG, 

he,while another Devonshire worthy, Walter Raleigh, 
a hal f-brother of the Gilberts,was a few years younger. 
The little river Dart was then frequented by ships 
from all parts of the world, and sailors who had mar¬ 
vellous tales to tell. The young Davis seems to have 
gone to sea at an early age, and, as we Rear nothing of 
him till 1579, was probably engaged in long sea 
voyages. At all events,at that date he was recognized 
as a captain of skill and courage, fit to be trusted with 
any enterprise. Like Frobisher, John Davis, as early 
as 1579, had made the acquaintance of the famous 
philosopher. Dr. Dee,and had discussed with him the 
prospects of a northern voyage of discovery. Dr. Dee 
mentions in his journal that on June 3, 1580, “Mr. 


Adrian Gilbert and John Davys rode homeward into 
Devonshire,” after having had conferences with the 
learned mathematicianonsubjectsin which they were 
all deeply interested. This was before the last voyage 
of Humphrey Gilbert,and his death only inspiredthe 
friends with fresh zeal to fulfil his wishes,and take up 
the great work where he had left it. Sir Walter 
Raleigh joined them, not only with sympathy and 
encouragement, but with more substantial aid. Thus 
wrerethe comrades who had shared in many a boyish 
adventure along the banks of the Dart, and who had 
passedsomany happy days of their youth speculating 
on the wonders of foreign coun¬ 
tries, no w joined together in agreat 
and memorable enterprise. Then 
they were boys, full of inquiry and 
curiosity, who longed for the time 
when they, too, might add to the 
renown of England. Their early 
enthusiasm, aided by capacity for 
hard work and the desire to do 
well, had borne rich fruit. Now 
they were qualified to become the 
pioneers of English discovery in 
the Arctic Regions. 

The three friends met at Dee’s 
house,near London,on January 23, 
1584, and were discussing the proj¬ 
ect they had formed for seeking 
thenorth-westroadtoChina,when 
a visitor was announced. It was 
the Secretary of State, Sir Francis 
Walsingham, who had called on 
his way down the river to Green¬ 
wich. Walsingham was a sedate 
and cautious man, yet he became 
so interested in the conversation 
when it was continued in his pres¬ 
ence, that he expressed a desire to hear the sub¬ 
ject of northern discovery discussed before him in 
all its bearings. It was arranged that there should be 
a meeting at the house of Mr. Beale, a mutual friend, 
on the very next day. Accordingly, Dr. Dee, Adrian 
Gilbert,andJohnDavismetthe Secretaryof State on 
the 24th of January in an interview where, as Dr, Dee 
tells us, “only we four were secret,and we made Mr. 
Secretary privie of the North-west Passage, and all 
charts and rutters were agreed upon in general.” Sec¬ 
retary Walsingham was a statesman of wide views 
and favorable to voyages of discovery, and as a result 
of this meeting, gave his official countena* fe to 
the projected expedition. 






FROBISHER—DA VIS. 


7 


The next point was to interest the wealthy mer¬ 
chants of the City of London in the new attempt to 
discover a shorter route to Cathay. On the 6th of 
’ March John Davis and Adrian Gilbert had an inter- 
■ view with several city magnates, and set forth the 
, commercial importanceof the enterprise. Alderman 

Barne, who was Lord Mayor in 1586, Mr. Tovverson, 
Mr. Yonge, and Mr. Thomas Hudson were the mer¬ 
chants to whom Dr. Dee introduced his friends. The 
meeting probably took place at Mr. Hudson’s house 
at Mortlake—a circumstance of peculiar interest to 
Arctic students; for Thomas Hudson is believed,on 


merce and the promotion of discovery. He induced 
the Queen to grant a charter in the names of himself, 
Adrian Gilbert, and John Davis “for the search and 
discoverieof the North-west Passage to China.” He 
likewise recommended hiscompanions,William San¬ 
derson, one of the most liberal and spirited merchants 
of London, and a man of great wealth. He subscribed 
liberally, advancing the largest part of the funds re¬ 
quired, and superintended all the preparations. 

The expedition consisted of two small vessels—the 
Sunshine, of London, of fiftv tons, commanded by 
Davis, with William Eston and Richard Pope as his 



good grounds, to have been the uncle and guardian of 
the great navigator, Henry Hudson; so that it is quite 
possible that the young Henry may have been present 
when his illustrious predecessor in Arctic discovery 
met the merchants in his uncle's house. 

The next step to be taken by the three adventurers 
w’as to induce their old Devonshire friends to join in 
the enterprise, and they were successful in obtaining 
subscriptions both at Dartmouth and at Exeter. Sir 
Walter Raleigh entered into their plans with charac¬ 
teristic ardor. He received the honor of knighthood 
in the end of 1584. He was rapidly becoming 
w’ealthy through the lucrative appointments and gifts 
conferred upon him by the Queen, and he spent his 
fortune nobly in schemes fortheadvancement of corn- 


master and master’s mate, Henry Davy and William 
Crosse as gunner and boatswain, and Mr. John Janes 
as merchant and supercargo. The crew consisted of 
a carpenter, eleven seamen, four musicians, and a 
boy. The Moonshine was commanded by William 
Bruton, with John Ellis as master. 

On the 7th of June, 1585, they sailed from Dart¬ 
mouth Harbor, but, owingto fogs and contrary'winds, 
were not well out at sea before July ist. Schools of 
porpoises played around the ship, and some were har¬ 
pooned and eaten, and whales in immense numbers 
were seen. 

At the end of three weeks the coast of Greenland 
was very near. On the 19th of July, the sea being 
calm and a dense mist obstructing the view, “a 












8 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


mighty great roaring” was heard. The captain of the 
Moonshine was ordered to hoist his boat out and go 
ahead to sound, but there was no bottom at 300 
fathoms, though the noise was like the breaking of 
waves on a beach. Then Davis, taking Master Eston 
and Janes with him, and ordering the gunner to fire 
a musket as a signal to show the ship’s position at the 
end of every half hour, pulled away in the direction of 
the mysterious noise. He soon found that the ships 
were close to a stream of pack-ice, and that the noise 
was caused by the large pieces grinding together. He 
returned before nightfall, with his boat laden with 
ice, which made excellent fresh water. Next day the 
fog rose, and the rugged mountains of Greenland, 
covered with snow, stood out before them, a wide 
extent of pack-ice intervening between the ships and 
the shore. Davis called it the “ Land of Desolation,” 
for, as he said, “ the irksome noise of the ice and the 
loathsome view of the shore bred strange conceits 
among us.” He had probably reached the east coast 
somewhere near Cape Discord. Being almost beset, 
Davis shaped a southerly course and got clear of the 
pack. On the 22d he again hoisted out his boat and 
pullexJ inshore to examine the ice. Many seals were 
seen and quantities of birds were on the water, which 
induced the men to get their lines out, but no fish 
were caught. The ice prevented a close approach to 
the land, and when the captain returned on board, he 
continued his southerly course, intending to round 
the southern point of Greenland. He rounded the 
point afterwards called Cape Farewell by Davis, and 
then steered to the north-west for three days. On 
July 29th he sighted land where the Danish town of 
Guthavn is now situated. Here the explorers had 
their first interview with the Esquimaux. Hearing the 
shoutingand noise, Captain Bruton and Master Ellis, 
of the Moonshine, manned their boat, took the four 
musicians on board,and hurried either to rescue their 
chief or co-operate in his attempt to conciliate the 
natives. When they arrived. Captain Davis caused 
the musicians to play, while he and his companions 
danced and made signs of friendship. Ellis was ap¬ 
pointed to go down to the water-side and win their 
confidence, in wh ich he succeeded by carefully imitat¬ 
ing their signs. A good understanding had been es¬ 
tablished before the explorers returned on board that 
night,and next morninga number of were dart¬ 
ing about round the ships, and natives stood on the 
nearest islands and made signs to induce their visitors 
to land. Again the boat went on shore, and perfect 
confidence was established. Five kayaks were pur¬ 
chased and specimens of native clothing; the impres¬ 


sion left on the minds of Davis and Janes being that 
the Esquimaux were a tractable people, whom it 
w'ould be easy to civilize. Great numbers of seals 
were seen, and the vegetation, consisting of dwarf 
willow and birch, and of the berry-bearing Entpe- 
truni nigrum, was observed. 

On the 1st of August, the wind being fair, Davis 
shaped a north-west course in pursuance of his dis¬ 
covery, sighted the land on the opposite side of the 
channel in 66'’40' N. on the 6th. Here he cast anchor 
in a place which he called Totnes Road,while a lofty 
cliff overshadowing the anchorage received the name 
of Mount Raleigh. The large bay nearly surrounding 
Mount Raleigh was called Exeter Sound, the point to 
the north was christened Cape Dyer, and that to the 
south Cape Walsingham. The explorers had their 
first encounter with Polar bears under Mount Ra¬ 
leigh, Four were seen from the ship,and the boat was 
quickly manned by eager sportsmen. Janes, who was 
on shore, loaded his gun with buckshot and a bullet, 
and hit one in the neck. It took to the water, and 
w’as killed by the boat’s crew with boar spears, as 
well as two others; and a few days afterw’ards another 
bear W’as secured after a long and exciting encounter. 
Dwarf w’illow’s were found on shore, and a yellow 
flower which they took for a primrose. 

The next sertdce performed by the expedition was 
the e.xamination of Cumberland Gulf. The northern 
point of the entrance was named the Cape of God’s 
Mercy, and the two ships went up the gulf, discover¬ 
ing an island in mid-channel. The Sunshine sailed 
up on one side of it, the Moonshine took the other 
channel, and a very complete examination of the 
gulf was effected, but without sighting the end of it. 
Various indications inclined Davis to the belief that 
it was a strait, but a strong north-west wind obliged 
him to shape a course towards the open sea. On the 
23d of August he anchored on the south shore of 
the gulf, and on the 26th he turned homew’ard and 
reached Dartmouth on Sept. 30th. Three days after 
his arrival he addressed a most hopeful letter to Sir 
Francis Walsingham. He assured the Secretary of 
State that “the North-West Passage is a matter 
nothing doubtful, but at any tyme almost to be 
passed, the sea navigable, void of yse, the ayre toler¬ 
able, and the waters very depe.” Davis also pointed 
out the trade in oil and furs that might be opened 
with the lands actually discovered. 

As soon as the explorer “could take order for his 
maryners and shipping,” he hurried up to London, to 
give a personal account to the Secretary of State and 
to Mr.Sanderson,and to induce the adventurers to un 


FROBISHER—DA VIS. 


9 





J"- dertake a second expedition. The merchants of Dev- 
onshire subscribed liberally, and owned two of the 
I ships which were fitted out for the new attempt. The 
I exploring fleet consisted of the (120 tons), 

R the Sunshine, Moonshine, and a pinnace called the 
I North Star, of ten tons. The conduct of the expedi- 
I tion was again intrusted to John Davis, who sailed in 
the Mertnaid, with William Eston again as his master. 
Richard Pope, who had been master’s mate in the 


he landed and explored the neighboring country and 
renewed his acquaintance with the Esqiumaux from 
whom he purchased seals, skins, fish and birds. 

On the 4th of July the master of the Mermaid dis¬ 
covered a grave on one of the islands, in which sev¬ 
eral bodies were interred, with a cross laid over them. 
It is possible that this may have been a relic of the 
Norsemen, or that the tradition of the use of the cross 
may have been presen’ed by the Esquimaux from the 



SEALS. 


former voyage, now received command of the Sicn- 
shine, with Mark Carter as his mate, and Henry Mor¬ 
gan as purser. Morgan was a servant of Mr. William 
Sanderson. 

The new expedition set sail May 7, 1586, and on 
reaching 60® North Latitude Davis sent the Sunshine 
and North Star to seek for a passage between Green¬ 
land and Iceland, and continued his voyage with his 
other ships till he sighted Greenland, June 15th, Here 


wreck of the Norse colonies. A few days afterwards. 
Captain Davis went for another long boat expedition 
up one of the fiords. These fiords run up towards 
the interior glacier of Greenland for distances of fifty 
or even a hundred miles. The frowning granite cliffs 
rise on either side to a great height, while in several 
places there are breaks where small valleys are formed, 
bright with mosses and wild-flowers during the 
short summer. In the far distance an occasional 














lO 


GREAT ARCTIC TRA FEELERS. 


glimpse is caught of the white gleaming line of the 
glacier. 

When to the southward of Gilbert Sound, in 63° 8' 
N., Davis fell in with an enormous iceberg on the 17th 
of July. Its extent and height were so extraordinary 
that the pinnace was sent to ascertain whether it was 
land or really ice. The report that it was indeed one 
gigantic mass of ice floating on the sea, with bays and 
capes, plateaux and towering peaks, excited great as¬ 
tonishment. Soon other masses began to collect round 
the ships, while the ropes and sails were frozen and 
covered with frost, and the air was obscured by fogs. 
This was the more disheartening because in the pre¬ 
vious year the sea was free and navigable in the 
same latitude. 

Progress was checked, and the men began to de¬ 
spond. They came aft very respectfully and advised 
their general that he should regard the safety of his 
own life and the preservation of his people, and that he 
should not,through overboldness,run the risk of mak¬ 
ing children fatherless and wives desolate. The gal¬ 
lant seaman was much moved. On the one hand he 
had to consider the welfare of those intrusted to his 
charge: on the other, he was bound to recognize the 
importance of achieving the great business on which 
he was employed : “ Whereupon,” he tells us, ‘‘seek¬ 
ing help from God, the fountain of all mercies, it 
pleased His Divine Majesty to moove my heart to 
prosecute that which I hope shall be to His glory, and 
to the contentation of every Christian mind.” After 
much reflection, he finally resolved that, although 
the Mermaid was a strong and sufficient ship, yet 
not so serviceable as a smaller vessel for this service, 
and being also a heavy expense to her owners, he 
would send her home and continue the voyage in the 
Moonshine. 

In pursuit of his search for the hoped for passage, 
Davis surveyed this western coast from the 20th to 
the 28th of August, laying it down from the 67th 
to the 57th parallels of north latitude. He found 
enormous numbers of birds breeding in the cliffs, 
which led him to suppose that there must be a similar 
abundance of fish in the sea. So he hove the ship 
to for about half an hour, and in that short time the 
men caught a hundred cod. He then anchored in 
a roadstead on the Labrador coast, remaining there 
until the ist of September. Davis, as was his wont, 
made an expedition into the interior, and found a 
wooded country with abundance of game. His people 
succeeded in bringing down numbers of birds with 
bows and arrows, and they caught many more cod at 
the harbor’s mouth. 


On the 1st of September the Moonshine was got 
under way, and continued to sail along the coast, 
with fine weather for three days. It then fell calm, 
and the vessel was brought to with a ledge-anchor in 
54° 30' N. Again the lines were put overboard, 
and immense quantities of cod were secured. “ The 
hook was no sooner over the side, but presently a 
fish was taken. ” On the 4th, Davis anchored again, 
having passed a great opening which seemed to offer 
another hope of a passage. It was probably the 
Strait of Belleisle; but the wind was dead against 
him, and he could not enter it. While they were 
at anchor, men were sent on shore to fetch some 
fish which had been laid out on the rocks to cure. 

The place appears to have been somewhere on the 
north coast of Newfoundland. Finally, on September 
19th, he turned his prow homeward. The Sunshine, 
also, w’hich he had dispatched to sail northward, re¬ 
turned safely to the Thames, but the little Star 

was never heard of. 

The explorer addressed a letter to Mr. William 
Sanderson from Exeter, on the 14th of October. His 
own ship had brought home a cargo of cod-fish, and 
the Sunshine had on board 500 sealskins and 140 
half-skins. He wrote in feeling terms about the loss 
of the pinnace. “God be merciful unto the poor' If' 
men and preserve them, if it be His blessed will.” 

He assured Sanderson that the extensive knowledge I 
he had acquired of the Northern regions had con¬ 
vinced him that the passage must be in one of four 
places, orelse that it did not exist. The evidence that 
these tentative voyages might be made to pay their 
expenses by bringing home cargoes of fish, was an¬ 
other encouraging result of this second attempt. 

Davis had been unprovided with fishing gear, had 
been obliged to make hooks out of bent nails, and to : 
u.se his sounding lines to fish with; while his small 
stock of salt only enabled him to bring home about 
thirty couple of cod. Yet he had had ocular demon¬ 
stration of the wonderful abundance of fish on the 
coast of Labrador. 

Although much of Davis’s voyage was not in Arctic 
waters, we have bestow'ed good space on it, as his re¬ 
ports probably led the way to the whale and seal fish¬ 
ery, and the cod fishery of Labrador and Newfound¬ 
land. 

This second voyage discouraged Davis’s Devon¬ 
shire friends: they “fell from the action,” he says. 
Sanderson and the Londoners were, however, still ■ 

confident, and fitted out a third expedition. In this ' 

expeditionbusinesswasaprominentfeature. Theold 1 
Sunshine and a twenty ton pinnace, the Ellen, were 


FROBISHER—DA VIS, 


II 


prepared for the fishery, while only his own ship the 
Elizabeth was destined for exploration. On May 19, 
1587, the three vessels sailed from Dartmouth, and on 
June 14th, sighted Greenland. Here he changed the 
disposition of the ships, sending Elizabeth to the 
fishery, and proceeding himself in the Ellen. He 
sailed along the west coast of Greenland as far as 72® 
12' N., the highest point he reached, and here, on 
June 30th, he saw open water to the north and west. 
He called it “Sanderson’s Hope.” On July 2d he met 


passed by a very great gulfe, the water whirling and 
roring as it were the meeting of tides.” Thus did 
Davis j>oint out the way to future important discov¬ 
eries. His exploratory labors threw the light which 
marked the way. “ He did, I conceive,” said Luke 
Fox many years afterwards, “light Hudson into his 
strait.” 

Davis now set out in his little pinnace, the Ellen, 
to meet his consorts who were at the fishery. He did 
not find them or any traces of them, so once more 



a “mighty bank of ice " which checked hisadvahce; 
the weather became foggy, lanes through the ice led 
to no exit, and it was not till July 24th that he re¬ 
covered the open sea. Proceeding southward, Davis 
saysinthelog: “ Wefell intoa mighty race, where an 
island of ice was carried by the force of the current as 
fast as our barke could sail. We saw the sea falling 
down into the gulfe with a mighty overfal, and ror¬ 
ing, with divers circular motions like whirlepooles, in 
such sort as forcible streams passe thorow the arches 
of bridges.” Mr. Janes in his journal says: “We 


steered for home, where he landed September 15th, 
1587. What became of the fishing ships is not known, 
from which fact it has been surmised that they came 
safely home and sold their fish to good profit. 

John Davis was the first scientific explorer. He 
noted the variation and dip of the compass, took 
careful observations, defined the coast lines of Green¬ 
land, studied the animal life of the north, made a 
vocabulary of the Esquimau language, and explored 
Cumberland and Frobisher’s or Lunley’s Inlets, and 
discovered the strait now called Hudson’s. 















12 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


CHAPTER 11. 


HENRY HUDSON (1609) 



HENRY HUDSON. 


Among the men who discussed with John Davis 
the plans of Arctic exploration we have found that of 
Henry Hudson. From that time till the year 1607 we 
hear nothing of him when, under the auspices of the 
Muscovy Company, he set out to discover a shorter 
route to China. On April 29th he set sail on board the 
Hopewell, a vessel of eighty tons. His son Jack shared 
his cabin; William Collins and James Young were the 
mates, and the crew consisted of eight men. On 
June 13th, he sighted the east coast of Greenland, and 
then pushed on to the famous Hakluyt Head of Spitz- 
bergen, where he could find no passage through 
which he could force his way. In the following year 
he was sent out again by the same company, and 
reached Nova Zembla, but again was unable to make 
further progress. The failure of these two attempts 
seems 1 o have led the Muscovy Company to withdraw 
their support from him, and Hudson took Service with 
the Amsterdam Company. 

In 1609 Hudson crossed the Atlantic in the Half 
Moon, with a crew composed in equal parts of Dutch 
and English sailors. He had heard the reports of 


WILLI. 4 M BAFFIN (1616). 

Captain Smith, the famous leader of the Virginian 
colonists, and thought that perhaps a passage to the 
west might be found more to the south than in the icy 
seas of the north. He explored Chesapeake Bay, but 
only to be again disappointed, and then sailed further 
north, examining the cpast for an opening. With the 
hope of finding the long-sought north-west passage, 
Henry Hudson, in the Half Moon, rounded the point 
of Sandy Hook, and entered into New York bay. 
Hence he sailed in his little boat up the noble river 
which forever will bear his name, till he reached the 
Catskill region in which, according to Washington 
Irving and tradition, the ghosts of himself and his men 
are still dwelling, under the shadow of the Dunder- 
berg. He landed on Manhattan Island, but, owing to 
disaffection among his crew, had to return to Europe, 
where he landed in England, November 7th. 

Hudson was a sailor of whom it has been said “ that 
never did any one better understand the seafaring pro¬ 
fession, that his courage was equal to any emer¬ 
gency, and that his application was indefatigable,’' 
and his talents were again called into service by his 
native country. Sir Thomas Smith and others re¬ 
solved to fit out another Arctic expedition, and intrust 
it to Hudson. Davis, it will be remembered, had in 
his careful survey ascertained the existence of four 
great openings — Cumberland’s Gulf, Lunley’s Inlet 
(identical with Frobisher's Strait), a great opening to 
which he gave no name, but described it from the 
conflicting currents that met there as the “ Furious 
Overfall ” and the passage of “ Sanderson’s Hope.” 
Hudson resolved to try his fortune by exploring the 
“ Furious Overfall.” 

Nothing can be more sad than the story and ending 
of this last voyage of the gallant Henry Hudson. A 
ship of thirty-five tons, named the Discovery, was 
provided, and Hudson received the command. Once 
more his young son Jack, who had reached the age of 
seventeen years, was his companion. His mate was 
Robert Juet, a treacherous old man, who had served 
with Hudson in his second and third voyages. 
Thomas Woodhouse,a mathematical student; Habak- 
kuk Prickett, a servant of Sir Dudley Digges; Robert 
Bylot, an experienced old sailor; Arnold Ludlow, and 
Michael Pierce, were the leading men on board 





HENR V HUDSON— WILLIAM BAFFIN. 


Henry Green, a good-for-nothing young spendthrift, 
befriended by Hudson because he wrote a good 
hand, was taken on board at the last moment. Sailing 
from Greenhithe on the 22dof April, 1610, the Discov¬ 
ery made a prosperous voyage to Iceland, and thence 
across the Atlantic. In June, Hudson navigated his 
ship past the “ Furious Overfall,” and down the strait 
which bears his name and leads to the great bay or 
inland sea, the Mediterranean of America, as it has 


fused and unsatisfactory. Hudson’s journal ends on 
the 3d of August, and during the three following 
months it is not at all clear what he was doing, and 
what course he took. But on the ist of November 
the Discovery was in a bay at the extreme south of 
Hudson’s Bay, now called James Bay. She was frozen 
in and compelled to winter there. 

A spirit of mutiny and discontent began to show 
itself during the long and dreary nights, which was 









r.j 






1 1\ t n 





THE “ HALF MOON ” AT THE MOUTH OF THE HUDSON. 


been called, which w'as ever afterwards to be known as 
Hudson’s Bay. Hudson sailed through the strait, 
with little or no obstruction from ice, until the en¬ 
trance to the bay was reached. The island on the 
south side of the entrance was named Cape Digges, 
and it was observed that myriads of birds were breed¬ 
ing there. Hudson’s own journal unfortunately comes 
to an end on reaching Cape Digges. The story is 
continued byHabakkuk Prickett, whose narrative is 
open to some suspicion, and whose account is con- 


increased by privation and hardship, and fostered by 
two or three designing villains. Hudson had felt 
obliged to supersede his old shipmate Juet in his 
rating of mate, and to appoint Robert Bylot in his 
place, owing to some misconduct, Henry Green was 
an unprincipled scoundrel, whose enmity against his 
benefactor arose from the refusal of some trifle for 
which he had asked. He formed a conspiracy with 
the boatswain, named William Wilson, and three 
men, named John Thomas, Michael Pierce, and 









GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 



HARPOON AND FISH SPEAR. 



HARPOON-HEAD. 


Andrew Moter. They watched their opportunity. The 
provisions had run very low, but Hudson hop>ed to 
replenish them and to obtain a sufficient supply for 
the return voyage by salting down birds at Cape 
Digges. On the i8th of June, i6ii, the Discovery 
broke out of her winter quarters, and a course was 
shaped for the entrance of Hudson’s Strait. 

The mutineers thought that there would not be suffi¬ 
cient food to enable them to reach England, and they 
conceived the diabolical scheme of turning the sick 
and weak adrift in order to reduce the number of 





























































































HENRY HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN. 


r . mouths. As they knew that Hudson would never 
consent to this villainy, and as they hated their com- 
- V mander because he had enforced discipline and had 

M punished two or more of them, they included him and 

* his son in the number of their intended victims, as 
well as all who remained loyal. Habakkuk Prickett 

V]' and five others were in bed with scurvy when the ship 

If broke out of the ice, and a course was shaped north- 

ward for Cape Digges. 

Prickett tells the story of what took place. He says 
that Green and Wilson came to his bunk after the ship 
had been three days at sea, and divulged their plot to 
him, assuring him that the course they proposed to 
take was unavoidable, because there were only four- 
^ teen days’ provisions left in the ship. He declares 
;ji . that he entreated them to desist, at least for a few 
jV . days, and that he appealed to the old scoundrel Juet 
% the disrated mate, but in vain, Prickett was probably 
X spared because he was a servant of Sir Dudley 
Digges, one of the owners. The conspirators trusted 
that he would give a plausible account of the affair on 

- his return home. He never attempted to warn the 
captain of his danger, and he was evidently a time¬ 
serving rascal, upon whom no reliance could be 
placed. 

^ The day was fixed, and Prickett tells us that the 
villains passed the greater part of the previous night 
in whispered talk. At that time of the year, the night 
was as light as the day. In the morning they stood 
round the cabin door, waiting for the captain to come 
ft ' out. Hudson was entirely without suspicion. He 
ff- got up as usual, and on stepping on to the deck he 

|K was seized by Thomas and Bennet the cook, while 

Kf ‘ Wilson, the boatswain, tied his hands behind his back. 
B The unfortunate captain must have struggled and 
called for help, for the carpenter and two other loyal 

* men ran to his assistance. They were overpowered 
by the mutineers, who got possession of the ship. The 

. i shallop was then hauled up alongside. The sick men, 
^ including Mr. Woodhouse the mathematician, were 
pulled out of their berths and forced into the boat, 
it- Hudson, as a last hope, as soon as he saw what was 

- intended, called to Prickett to remonstrate with the 
¥ ‘ mutineers. But the time-ser\’er kept close in his 
£ cabin, and said not a word. The carpenter would 

have been allowed to remain, but he declared that 

jFr he would rather die with true men than live 

as the associate of cowards. He, and the two 
other loyal men, were forced into the boat with the 
^ four sick. Then young Jack Hudson, who had been 

* his father's companion in all his voyages, and was 

w now in his eighteenth year, was taken out of the cabin 


IS 



BOW AND ARROWS. 

and driven into the boat, Hudson followed. The 
shallop was cast adrift, with nine men crowded into 


K 












































































i6 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


her, one fowling-piece, some powder and shot, an 
iron pot, and a little meal. 

The ship stood clear of the ice, and then hove to, 
while the murderers ransacked the captain’s cabin. 
This aroused a hope in the mindsof the forlorn people 
in the boat that the villains had relented. They pulled 
with all their might, and soon came close to the ship 
again. But they were doomed to cruel disappoint¬ 
ment. As they came up alongside, the mainsail was 
let run, the topsails were hoisted, and the cowardly 
rascals fled as if from an enemy. Hudson and his 
doomed companions were never heard of more. 

Eleven men remained on board. Robert Bylot, the 
mate, was, it is to be hoped, an unwilling spectator of 
the crime that was perpetrated before his eyes. Juet, 
the d israted mate, the young scoundrel Green, Moter, 
Pierce, Thomas, and Wilson were the ringleaders. 
The cook was an accomplice, as was Francis Clem¬ 
ents, a friend of Thomas. Simmes seems merely to 
have acquiesced, and Pricket was a time-server. On 
the 29th of July, 1611, the Discovery was hove to off 
Cape Digges, where the birds breed. The five ring¬ 
leaders of the mutiny went on shore in a boat, to com¬ 
municate with a party of Esquimaux. They were 
unarmed. Two were bartering for venison, two were 
gathering sorrel, and there was a boat-keeper. They 
were suddenly attacked by the savages, and all were 
mortally wounded. Tumbling into the boat together 
she was shoved off. The Esquimaux then began 
shooting at them with bows and arrows, and Green 
was killed outright. The rest got back to the ship, 
but they all died within a few days. Seldom has 
retribution followed so quickly on the perpetration 
of crime. They barely survived their victims. Old 
Juet, who was not on shore with them, died on the 
passage home. 

The survivors were Bylot the mate, who took com¬ 
mand, Bennet the cook, Clements, Simmes and 
Prickett. They shot about 300 birds at Cape Digges. 
and put themselves on an allowance of half a bird a 
day,with a little meal. They returned through Hud¬ 
son’s Strait, and shaped a course for Ireland. Soon 
the meal w'as exhausted. Bennet the cook kept the 
bird’s bones, and fried them in candle grease. The 
last bird was in the steep tub when they sighted Dur- 
sey Island, and anchored in Berehaven,where a crew 
was hired to take the ship round to the Thames. 
Bylot and Pricket hurried up to London,and told the 
best story they could invent to their employers. No 
one was punished. Pricket wrote a narrative of the 
catastrophe. Bylot continued to receive appoint¬ 
ments from Sir Thomas Smith and his colleagues. A 


younger son of Henry Hudson received employment 
from the East India Company on the ground that 
“ the father had perished in the service of his 
country! ” 

Thus had bold Henry Hudson followed up the 
beacon light of Davis, reached the strait and bay 
which immortalize his name, and found a grave in 
the midst of his discoveries. His labors were appre¬ 
ciated, and it was resolved that an expedition should 
be dispatched to complete his work in the spring of 
the following year. Two vessels were fitted out, the 
Resolution and Discovery. The command of the ex¬ 
pedition was intrusted to Thomas Button, an officer 
of tried valor and experience; and it was under the 
special patronage of Prince Henry, who signed the 
instructions. 

Thomas Button was the son of Miles Button of 
Duffryn in Glamorganshire, whose family had been 
seated there for seven generations. Young Thomas, 
who was born at Duffryn, was sent to sea in 1592. 
He was in the West Indies with Captain Newport in 
1603, and commanded a king’s ship in 1609. In 1612 
he was appointed to lead the new expedition to Hud¬ 
son’s Bay on board the Resolution,Discovery being 
commanded by Captain Ingram. A relation named 
Gibbons and a friend named Hawkbridge accom¬ 
panied him, while Bylot and Prickett, the survivors 
of Hudson’s fatal voyage were on board. The ships 
were supplied with provisions for eighteen months, 
and in May, 1612, they left the Thames. 

The expedition reached Cape Digges without en¬ 
countering any difficulties from ice in Hudson’s 
Strait,and remained there three weeks in order to put 
a pinnace together that had been taken out in pieces. 
Button then entered Hudson’s Bay, and proceeded 
westward, disovering the southern coast of South¬ 
ampton Island and off-lying islets, to one of which 
Button gave the name of Mansell Island, after his 
relation Admiral Sir Edward Mansell; to another 
“ Cary’s Swan’s Nestto a third, “ Hopes Check’d,” 
because there his expectations of making progress 
received a check. Bad weather came on, and late in 
August, Button sought refuge in a small creek on 
the western side of Hudson’s Bay, which was named 
Port Nelson, after the master of the Resolution, who 
died and was buried there. He was thus the dis¬ 
coverer of the west coast of Hudson’s Bay, Hudson 
himself having only sailed down its east coast to the 
southern extremity. 

Button determined to winter at Port Nelson,and at 
once set his people to work to procure as much game 
as possible. They obtained a large supply of ptarmi- 


HENRY HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN, 


17 



gan, but the winter was very severe, and, although 
S!* they had fresh food, the health of the men suffered 
XT from the intense cold. Button kept their minds em¬ 
ployed by requiring them to answer questions relating 


to the voyage and its objects, and by thus interesting 
them in the work upon which they were engaged. In 
June, 1613, the ice broke up, and the ships left their 
winter quarters and reached Cape Digges. In return- 








































i8 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


ing by Hudson’s Strait, Button discovered that the 
land on which Cape Chidley is situated is an island, 
and he took his ships through the strait which is thus 
formed. On old maps the island is called Button’s 
Island, a name which ought to have been retained. 
He returned to England intheautumnof i6i3,but hi« 
journal was never published. We are indebted to 
Luke Fox,a later explorer,for all the information that 
has reached us respecting Button’s voyage. He be¬ 
came Admiral Sir Thomas Button, and was in com¬ 
mand on the coast of Ireland in i6i8. He was Rear- 
Admiral in the fleet of Sir Edward Mansell, which 
was sent against the Algerine pirates in 1620, and in 
1623 was again employed in suppressing piracy in the 
Irish Sea. Sir Thomas married Mary, daughter of 
Sir Walter Rice of Dynevor,and, dying in April, 1634, 
he left a son who succeeded him at Duffryn. The 
expedition of Sir Thomas Button to Hudson’s Bay 
was ably conducted. It resulted in considerable addi¬ 
tions to geographical knowledgeasregardsthesouth- 
ern shores of Southampton Island, and in the discov¬ 
ery of the western side of the bay. Button’s relation. 
Captain Gibbons,received command of the Discovery 
in 1614 to followup the discoveriesof his predecessor. 
But he was unable to enter Hudson’s Strait,and was 
driven by the ice into a bay on the coast of Labra¬ 
dor, where he remained for twenty weeks. His crew 
named the place “Gibbons his Holeand on being 
released from the ice, he returned home. 

The persevering adventurers of London were not 
discouraged by one or two failures. In 1615 they sent 
out another expedition,consisting of the Discovery,oi 
fifty-five tons, commanded by Robert Bylot,who had 
served in the three previous expeditions under Hud¬ 
son, Button and Gibbons in the same ship. William 
Baffin was his “ mate and associate,” and the crew 
consisted of fourteen men and two boys. Sailing in 
April, 1615, they sighted Cape Farewell on the 6th of 
May. Crossing Davis Strait, the Discovery was safely 
anchored in a good harbor on the west side of Reso¬ 
lution Island, which is at the northern entrance of 
Hudson’s Strait, on the ist of June. Bylot was an 
experienced seaman, and Baffin was a scientific navi¬ 
gator, who lost no opportunity of noting everything 
that would be useful to his brother sailors, like Davis 
before him. They had some difficulty with the ice at 
the entrance of the strait; but eventually sailed along 
the northern side until they reached a group, which 
Baffin named the Savage Islands, because they met 
with a party of Esquimaux on the shore. Continu¬ 
ing a course westward along the northern coast, the 
Discovery was closely beset by the ice off some land 


which Baffin named “ Broken Point.” The ship was 
immovable for several days, and the men amused 
themselves on the ice by firing at butts with bows 
and arrows and playing at foot-ball. 

Baffin was very differently employed. He was, like 
his great predecessor Davis, a seaman who closely 
studied the scientific branch of his profession, and 
strove to improve the methods of observing. He was 
particularly anxious to test the various theoretical 
methods of finding longitude. While beset in the ice 
off Broken Point he took a complete lunar observa¬ 
tion, and it was the first ever recorded to have been 
taken at sea, with the doubtful exception of one re¬ 
ferred to by Sarmiento. Baffin took altitudes of the 
sun and moon, and measured the distance between 
them by the difference of azimuth. He probably 
adopted this method because he possessed no instru¬ 
ment with which he could measure so large an angle. 

On the 27th of June the ice opened out, and the 
Discovery was able to proceed on her voyage, sight¬ 
ing Salisbury Island on the ist of July. Advancing 
across the channel they reached a point on the north¬ 
west side of Southampton Island, which Baffin 
named Cape Comfort. Here the ice was packed so 
close that the attempt to proceed further was aban¬ 
doned. Moreover, the water began to shoal, and land 
was seen ahead, which led Baffin to suppose that he 
was at the mouth of a large bay. When Sir Edward 
Parry was exploring the same region in 1824, he 
named the furthest land seen from the Discovery, 
Cape Bylot, and an island on the opposite shore, 
Baffin Island. They are on either side of the en¬ 
tranced Frozen Strait, the former on Southampton 
Island. Passing between Salisbury and Notting¬ 
ham Islands, which are at the western end of Hud¬ 
son’s Strait, the Discovery came to an anchor at 
Cape Digges on the 29th of July. 

The number of guillemots breeding at Cape Digges 
is almost incredible to those who have not seen it. 
The crew of the Discovery killed about seventy of 
these birds, but they could easily have shot several 
hundred if they had been wanted. Bylot and Baffin 
then shaped a course for England, on their return. 
Passing down Hudson’s Strait without any trouble 
from ice, they crossed the Atlantic, sighted Cape 
Clear, and anchored in Plymouth Sound on the 8th 
of September, 1615, without the loss of a single soul. 
The conclusion arrived at by Baffin respectinga north 
west passage, after his return from this voyage, was, 
that if there were any passage up Hudson’s Strait it 
was by some narrow inlet, but that the main passage 
would be up Davis Strait. He was perfectly correct. 


HENRY HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN. 


19 


The completion of the examination of Davis’s route 
by way of the “ Furious Overfall ” was steadily pro¬ 
gressing, but after the return of Baffin in 1615, there 
was a pause for sixteen years. At last two voyages 
were planned, one vessel to sail from the port of Bris¬ 
tol and the other from London. The Maria, of sev¬ 
enty tons, under the command of Captain Thomas 
James, left Bristol on the 3rd of May 1631. James 
had made no study of previous voyages to the north, 
entered no seamen acquainted with ice navigation, and 


been lost to us. Besides being a thorough seaman 
and an ardent explorer, he was a quaint and very 
entertaining writer. If he had a fault it was that 
he possibly had too good an opinion of himself. He 
had been zealously urging the dispatch of a new 
expedition for several years. At length he succeed¬ 
ed in interesting Mr. Henry Briggs in northern dis¬ 
covery, and the great mathematician not only wrote 
an able treatise on the subject, but also induced Sir 
John Brooke to join in the venture. A vessel named 



ESQUIMAUX DWELLINGS. 


when he encountered drifting ice-floes in Hudson’s 
Strait he was quite helpless. At length he reached 
Cape Digges on the 15th of July. 

Luke Fox was a man of a very different stamp. He 
was a Yorkshireman, clear-headed, intelligent, and 
full of enthusiasm to advance the cause of Arctic dis¬ 
covery, He made a special and most diligent study 
of previous voyages, especially of the enterprises of 
John Davis. It is to Fox that we owe a knowledge 
; of the important expedition of Sir Thomas Button, 
and of other voyages which would otherwise have 


the Charles, of eighty tons, was fitted out, provisioned 
for eighteen months, and manned with twenty sail¬ 
ors and two boys. Old Mr. Briggs died while the 
ship was being prepared for sea. As the introducer 
of the use of logarithms he was one of the great¬ 
est benefactors the navy has ever had. His place 
was taken by Sir Thomas Roe, the eminent trav¬ 
eller and diplomatist, who entered heartily into the 
project, and, with Sir John Wolstenholme, superin¬ 
tended the fitting out of the ship. The Master and 
Brethren of the Trinity House also gave their help 










































20 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


Captain Fox was perfectly satisfied with his stores 
and provisions. He tells us that he had “ excellent 
fat beef, strong beer, good wheaten bread, Iceland 
ling, butter and cheese of the best, admirable sack, 
and aqua vitae, pease, oat meal, wheat meal, oil, bal¬ 
sams, gums, unguents, plasters, potions, and purging 
pills. My carpenter was fitted from the thickest bolt 
to the tin tack, my gunner from the sabre to the 
pistol, my boatswain from the cable to the sail twine, 
my cook from the caldron to the spoon.” 



GUILLEMOT. 


Never was a commander so perfectly satisfied with 
himself, his crew, and everything on board. It is 
quite pleasant to read his journal. All was right that 
had anything to do with him, and his geese were all 
swans. On the 3rd of May, 1631 this ablest of com¬ 
manders, with the best of ships, and the most excel¬ 
lent provisions, sailed from Deptford, He dropped 
his name of Luke, and called himself North West Fox. 


But if he was conceited, he had something to be con¬ 
ceited of, and he was an able and accomplished man. 

On the i8th of June the Charles ^2.^ nearing her 
work. Those “ overfalls and races of tide,” so fully 
described by Davis, were encountered in the right lat¬ 
itude, and Cape Chidley was sighted on the 20th. 
Fox was now about to try his turn at following up the 
beacon-light of John Davis. He found a good deal of 
ice in Hudson’s Strait, as is usual at that time of 
year, but it was in small pieces floating apart, and 
was no hinderance to navigation. On the 25th of June 
the sea was calm, the sky clear, and pieces of spotless 
ice were floating on the water, a lovely scene when 
the sun was seen to touch the horizon. Fox was a 
classical scholar, a careful observer, and he appreci¬ 
ated the beauties of nature. ” The sun kist Thetis in 
our sight,” he wrote; “ the same greeting was 5” 
west from the north, and at the same instant the rain¬ 
bow was in appearance I think to canopy them a 
bed.” Next morning the sun rose clear; “and so 
continued all this cold virgin day; but now the frost 
takes care that there shall no more pitch run from off 
the sunny side of the ship.” The Charles was beset 
in the strait for several days, but Fox judged from 
the appearance of the sky, that the northern side was 
clear of ice. On the 15th of July, the passage of 
Hudson’s Strait was achieved, and the ship was in 
sight of the islands at its western entrance, named 
Digges, Salisbury, Nottingham, Mansell, and South¬ 
ampton, “They were so named,” says Fox, “as a 
small remembrance of the charge, countenance, and 
instruction given to the enterprise, and which, though 
small, neither time nor fame ought to suffer oblivion 
to bury. For whensoever it shall please God to ripen 
those seeds, and make them ready for his sickle ; he 
whom he hath appointed to be the happier reaper of 
this crop, must remember to acknowledge that those 
honorable and worthy personages were the first ad¬ 
vancers.” Most true ! neither the advancers and lib¬ 
eral merchants who supplied the means, nor the illus¬ 
trious seamen who made the discoveries, should be 
forgotton by posterity. It is to them that we owe 
those solid foundations of national enterprise, and of 
love for the common weal, upon which the superstruc¬ 
ture of the British Empire has been erected by their 
descendants. 

On the 21 St of July the Charles was off the island 
named “ Cary’s Swan’s Nest ” by Button ; and the 
27th another island was discovered and named “ Sir 
Thomas Roe’s Welcome,” in 64° 10' N. This desig¬ 
nation has since been transferred to the channel in 
which the island is situated, and as such it often. 











21 


HENRY HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN. 


occurs in the narratives of more recent northern 
voyages. 

Coasting rou nd the western shore he gave the names 
of “Brooke Cobham ” and "Briggs his Mathemat¬ 
ics” to two other islands, and then he proceeded 
alongthe western shore of Hudson’s Bay as far south 


came to the conclusion that the captain was no sea¬ 
man. The cabin was so small that they were obliged 
to dine between decks, and though the ship was onl)' 
under courses, she took in such seas that “ sauce 
would not have been wanting if there had been roiist 
mutton.” “Theirshiptookitsliquoraskindlyasthem- 



Y 

^ MOON WITH HALO. 


as Port Nelson, where Button’s expedition wintered. 
No sign of any opening to the westward appeared, 
and Fox was making his way across Hudson’s Bay 
again when he fell in with the Maria, commanded by 
Captain James, of Bristol, on the istof August. Next 
day Captain Fox dined on board the Maria, and had 
a cordial reception. He found the ship ill-found, and 


selves, for her nose was no sooner out of the pitcher 
but her neb, like the duck’s, was in it again.” He 
doubted whether it would be better for the Maria to 
be beset in the ice, where the crew would be kept 
from putrefaction by the piercing air, or to be left in 
the open sea, where they would be kept sweet by be¬ 
ing thus daily pickled. He was very facetious in his 
























22 


GREAT ARCTIC 'TRAVELLERS. 


remarks on the Bristol ship and her crew, which he 
thus encountered in that s<;litary sea, and after be- 
ingwith them forseventeen hours he parted company 
with his rival and stood southward along tlie land, 
lie established the fact that there was no opening 
along the western coastof Hudson’s Bay from 65'' 30' 
to 5510' N., a distance 620 miles. 

Having completed this examination, Fox steered 
northward, and was in sight of “ Cary’sSwan’sNest” 


again by the 7th of September. He then proceeded 
up the eastern side of the coast-line, which trends 
northward from the western entrance of Hudson’s 
Strait, the whole of which was a new discovery. Pass¬ 
ing a headland, to which he gave the name of '“Lord 
Weston’s Foreland,” Fox reached a point in 66 ° 47' 
N., where the land began to trend to the south-east, 
and this he christened “ Fox his Farthest.” In after 
5rears Sir Edward Parry gave thenameof Fox’sChan- 
nel to the great opening leading to “Fox his Farthest,” 
and our gallant Yorkshireman has this credit down to 
the present day, that his Farthest is still an Ultima 
Thule, and that it has never since been visited by any 
later explorer. 

Fox was sent out because Sir Thomas Button had 
reported that the tide off Nottingham Island came 
from the north-west,and that,consequently,there was 
probability of a passage in that direction. But by 
careful observations Fox had ascertained that the tide 
came from the south-east in that locallty,and he there¬ 
fore concluded that he ought to return to England. 
Parry, in 1824, observ'ed that the tides were rapid and 


very irregular,and he had little doubt that this irreg¬ 
ularity w'as caused b}' a meeting of the tides. The 
flood comes from the northward down Fox's Cliannel. 
and meets the rapid stream which sets in from Hud¬ 
son’s Strait. 

On the 2ist of September, after having well weigh¬ 
ed all considerations which might make it advisable 
to winter, and the strong reasons against that course. 
North West Fox decided upon returning home, and 
he made sail for England. That 
morning there was a brilliant sun¬ 
rise, which gave rise to the fol¬ 
lowing strange conceit from the 
pen of the old seaman. “This 
morning Aurora blusht as though 
she had ushered her master from 
some unchaste lodging, and the 
air so silent as though all those 
handmaids had promised secresy.’ 
With a fair wind the Charles ran 
down Hudson’s Strait without any 
hinderance from the ice, sighting 
Resolution Island, on the north 
side of the eastern entrance, on 
the 27th. She arrived safely in 
the Downs, without losing a single 
soul, and with all the crew sound 
and well. Fox truly claimed that 
he had “proceeded in these discov¬ 
eries farther than any of his pre¬ 
decessors, in less time and at less charge ; that he 
cleared up all the expected hopes from the w'est side 
of Hudson’s Bay;” and, he could now add, he discov¬ 
ered acoast-lineontheeast side of the channel bear¬ 
ing his name, which has never since been explored 
or visited. 

Thecruiseof theil/ar/a was not so fortunate. After 
parting company with Captain Fox in Hudson’s Bay. 
she struck on a rock when Captain James was in a deep 
sleep. The ship seems to have been badly handled. 
The sails were thrown aback, but without effect. They 
were then furled and an anchor was laid out astern. 
All the water was started and the coal was thrown 
overboard. Then all hands went to the capstan and 
hove round wdth such gn)od-will 1 hat the cable parted. 
Eventually the ship floated off; and Captain James 
controlled his passion, and checked some bad counsel 
that was given him to revenge himself on the officer 
of the watch. The fault was his own. He ought not 
to have been in bed and asleep when the ship was so 
near the land. He found a secure harbor in the ex¬ 
treme south of Hudson’s Bay, protected by an island 



























HEiXRV HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN, 


23 


afterwards named Charlton Island, and there he de¬ 
termined to winter. During October and November it 
was intensely cold and much snow fell. Yet the coun¬ 
try was by no means Arctic in character. There 
were woods of fir-trees, and the crew was able to cut 
plenty of fuel. A hut was built on shore for the sick, 
in which a large fire was kept burning. The first man 
to succumb to the miseries of the situation was the 
gunner, who sank gradually in spite of being allowed 
to drink nothing but sack. The ship was driven on 
shore, and Captain James caused the provisions to be 


with the mainsail. In the inside the bonnet sails 
formed the walls, and bed places were built round 
three sides. The hearth was in the centre. A second 
house was built with the foresail for a roof. A store- 
hou.se was also constructed to receive all the provi¬ 
sions and stores from the ship. Before Christmas the 
houses were covered deep with snow. 

In February the scurvy began to show itself, and 
before long two-thirds of the crew were down with it. 
Thus the miserable winter passed on, and by the end 
of April the snow had ceased, and rain began to fall. 



THE KAJAK AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 


landed. But the cold increased, they could not cut 
vinegar and wine with hatchets, and were in a condi¬ 
tion of extreme misery. They were now all collected in 
a house they had built in the shelter of a wood which 
they named “ Winter’s Forest ” in honor of Sir John 
Winter. The house was under a clump of trees, 
and at a short distance from the beach, where the 
ship was on shore. It was about twenty feet 
square, built of upright posts with the sides wat¬ 
tled with boughs, and about six feet high. The roof 
was of rafters and boughs, the whole covered over 


They obtained very few ptarmigan or game of any 
kind, and lived on the salt beef and oatmeal they had 
brought from England, with pork, fish, and boiled 
peas. All the men who were able to move were 
obliged to work on board, pumping and digging the 
ice out of the ship. On the 6th of May, John Warden, 
the master’s mate died, and was buried on the sum¬ 
mit of a bleak rising ground, which was named Bran¬ 
don Hill. A few days afterwards the carpenter died, 
and was interred beside the master’s mate. The gun¬ 
ner’s body, which had been buried at sea, was found 




































































24 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


imbedded in the ice under the gun-room ports. It was 
dug out and placed in the earth, by the side of his 
shipmates on Brandon Hill. As the weather got 


MELVILLE BAY. 

warmer the work of refitting the ship advanced. 
Captain James became more hopeful; he hoisted the 
ensign on the birthday of the Prince of Wales, and 
called the place Charlestown, which, 
by contraction, became Charlton 
Island. By the 8th of June the 
water was pumped out of the ship, 
but she was aground in the sand, and 
it was necessary to lighten her by 
taking out all the ballast, in order to 
get her afloat. This operation was 
successfully performed, the ship was 
rigged, and the stores were brought 
on board. As the snow disappeared, 
vetches and scurvy-grass were found 
in considerable quantities, which con¬ 
duced to the recovery of the sick. 

On the 1st of July, 1732, Captain 
James took a last look at the graves 
of his companions, and returning to 
the ship, made sail for Bristol, where 
he arrived safely in September. 

Let us now trace the expeditions 
that sought for the North-west Passage by another of 
the routes indicated by Davis, the road by Sander¬ 
son’s Hope. The name of William Bafiin has been 


already mentioned in the voyage of Captain Bylot, 
whose mate he was on board the Discovery. This 
great sailor whose courage is commemorated in the 
expanse of water named Baffin’s 
Bay is believed to have been born 
in London about the year 1584. 
In 1612 he had been pilot on the 
Patience of Hull, that sailed from 
that port to explore Greenland ; 
in 1613-14, he had been engaged 
in the whale fishery near Spitz- 
bergen,as above stated, was with 
Bylot in the voyage of the Dis¬ 
covery in 1615. He was a man 
of enthusiastic zeal, mild and 
genial in manner, and a skilful 
and scientific navigator. He was 
well trained by his previous ex¬ 
periences in the ice. 

The voyage of 1616 was under¬ 
taken by Sir Thomas Smith, Sir 
Francis Jones, Sir Dudley Digges, 
and Sir John Wolstenholme. As 
before, Robert Bylot was ap¬ 
pointed master, and William 
Baffin again became pilot of the 
Discovery, of fifty-five tons, with a crew of sixteen 
men. Baffin’s papers and maps fell into the hands 
of Purchas, who published, in his “ Pilgrimes,” the 


great navigator’s “ Briefe and True Relation,” and 
his letter to Sir John Wolstenholme. But Purchas 
omitted Baffin’s priceless map and his journal, thus 




NARWHAL. 

























HENRY HUDSON—WILLIAM BAFFIN, 


25 


doing an irreparable injury to posterity. They are 
now lost, although it is probable that the very rare 
map met with in a few copies of the narrative of 
Luke Fox, may be partly taken from the work of 
Baffin. 

The Discovery sailed from Gravesend on the 26th 
of March, 1616, and shaped a course down channel; 
but a westerly wind coming 
on, she put into Dartmouth 
Harbor, and remained there 
for eleven days. Thus was 
the ship destined to carry 
forward the discovery of 
Davis beyond his furthest 
point, receiving shelter in 
the harbor which was in 
sight of the home he had 
loved so well. The succes¬ 
sors of Davis left Dart¬ 
mouth on the 15th of April, 
a month earlier than Davis 
had usually sailed from the 
ssme port. The first land 
they saw was the coast of 
Greenland near Cockin 
Sound, in 65° 20' N., where 
Baffin had been in his 
first Arctic voyage with 
James Hall, in 1612. Sever¬ 
al Esquimaux in their kay¬ 
aks came round the ship, 
and were given small pieces 
of iron ; but'Bylot and Baf¬ 
fin did not wish to anchor so 
early in the voyage, having 
made a good passage across 
the Atlantic. The wind 
was against them, and they 
worked up to the northward 
until they reached 70° 10' N. 

“ Then we came to an an¬ 
chor in a faire sound near 
the place Master Davis call¬ 
ed London Coast. This 
was probably near Noursoak, on the north shore of 
the Waigat, or strait dividing Disco Island from 
the mainland of Greenland. 

At sunset on theeed of May the Discovery\t{\. her 
anchorage in the Waigat, after a stay of two days, 
during which Baffin diligently observed the tides. 
These tidal observations gave rise to some appre- 
sion respecting the passage, for the rise and fall was 


only eight or nine feet, the flood coming from the 
south. Working up against a dead foul wind the old 
craft made but slow progress, and encountering a 
dead whale far out at sea, some time was spent in 
getting the whalebone on board. But by sunset of 
the 30th they were fairly in sight of Sanderson his 
Hope, “ the farthest land Master Davis was at,” on 


SPEARING THE WALRUS. 

the 30th of June, 1587, an interval of nearly thirty 
years. Pushing through some loose ice, they came 
among islands, where Baffin and his crew had pleas¬ 
ant relations with some Esquimaux lasses, showing 
them the ship, and helping them to go from one is¬ 
land to another, in search of their men folk. They 
called the group “ Women Islands,” a name it still 
retains. 



































26 


GREAl^ ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


From the “Women Islands” Baffin passed on to 
the group now called “ Baffin Islands;” but finding 
much ice along the coast, the bold pilot steered west¬ 
ward, an(^ took the perilous course of attempting the 
middle pack. Parry succeeded in passing through it 
in 1819, and Nares in 1875, but there is great danger 
of being beset and drifted southward. It is always 
safer to keep near the shore. “ Stick to the land- 
floe !” was the favorite maxim of experienced whal¬ 
ing captains. Baffin came to the same conclusion. 
After a short trial of the middle pack he resolved to 
keep near the land; and on the 15th of June he an¬ 
chored in Melville Bay, under the lee of some islands 
off the point now called Cape Shackleton, which is 
1,400 feet high, and nearly perpendicular. Here the 
ship was visited by Esquimaux in kayaks'^n^uvienaks, 
whoexchanged narwhals’horns forpieces of iron and 
glass beads. Baffin, therefore, called the place Horn 
Sound, a name which ought to be restored on modern 
maps, just north of Cape Shackleton, where there is 
a cliff frequented by guillemots. 

In the last days of June the Discovery made the 
passage of Melville Bay, since so much dreaded by 
whalers, with little or no obstruction from the ice,and 
by the ist of July she had reached the “north tyater.” 
Baffin named a fair headland Cape Dudley Digges,in 
76.8° N., and a deep bay twelve leagues farther north 
was called Wolstenholme Sound. Here the little 
vessel was anchored; but in a few hours she was 
driven out to sea, the gale increased, her foresail was 
blown out of the bolt-ropes, and when the weather 
cleared they found themselves imbayed in another 
deep sound, where they anchored. Seeing several 
whales, they gave it the name of Whale Sound. The 
windsoon moderated,andthe£>A<r£i'Z/^’r/continued her 
adventurous course along this far northern land, until 
she was stopped by the ice in 78“ N.,when in sight of 
an opening named Smith Sound, “the greatest and 
largest in all this bay.” An island between Smith 
and Whale Sounds received the name of Hakluyt 
Island. Here the Discovery was again anchored, in 
the hope of finding whalebone on the shore. But 
again the wind and sea rose, and they were driven 
from their shelter, to beat about for two days in the 
“north water ” of Baffin’s Bay. When the weather 
cleared up, they sighted a group of islands, which 
received the name of Cary Islands, after the ship’s 
captain, Mr. Alwyn Cary. 

Baffin stood to the westward in an open sea, with a 
stiff gale of wind, until the loth of July, when it fell 
calm. The Discovery was now on the western side of 
the bay, and an opening was in sight which received 


the name of Jones Sound. Here a boat was sent on 
shore, and many walrus were seen on the rocks, but a 
fair wind springing up, no attempt was made to kill 
them. Running southward another opening was dis¬ 
covered in 74° 30' which was called Lancaster Sound 
inhonorof the eminentdirectorof thcEastlndiaCom- 
pany who had commanded the firstEnglish voyage to 
the East Indies. Too hastily assuming this and other 
sounds to be merely bays, Baffin ran southward along 
the western coast of Davis Strait for ten days, and 
then standing eastward, after some difficulty from 
large floes of ice,succeeded in reachingthe west coast 
of Greenland again, and anchored in Cockin Sound. 
Several of the crew had been attacked by scurvy, and 
the cook had died. But such quantities of sorrel and 
scurvy grass were now gathered and administered to 
the sick, that in ten days they were all in perfect 
health again. Leaving Cockin Sound on the 6th of 
August, the Discovery had a prosperous voyage 
home, and on the 30th of August anchored off Dover. 

Thus was the wish of Davis accomplished. His dis¬ 
covery as far as Hope Sanderson was extended by his 
successor, and the whole of Baffin’s Bay was added 
to geographical knowledge. It is pleasant to feel that 
Baffin venerated the memory of his illustrious prede¬ 
cessor. He always mentions him with respect, and 
in his letter to Sir John Wolstenholme he generously 
says: “Neither was Master Davis to be blamed in 
his report and great hopes; for as far as Hope San¬ 
derson the sea isopen, of an unsearchable depth and 
good color.” Baffin’s conclusion was that “there is 
no passage nor hope of passage to the north of Davis 
Strait.” But Baffin was wrong, and Davis was right. 
In the distant future the wishes of Davis received 
further development, and Davis Strait proved to be 
the wayto further importantgeographical discovery, 
westward and northward by Lancaster Sound, and by 
Smith Sound, openings which Baffin had erroneously 
supposed to be merely bays. 

After 1616, Baffin, in order to obtain suitable em¬ 
ployment, was obliged to enter the service of the 
East India Company. But when he found himself 
under this necessity, it is extremely interesting to 
find that, like Davis before him, he never abandoned 
the hopeof continuing his northern discoveries. He 
even conceived the very same scheme which Davis 
so long entertained, namely, of making the northern 
passage by way of the Pacific. Mr. Briggs, in his 
“ Brief Discourse on a North-west Passage,” says 
that Baffin told him “that he would, if he might get 
employment, search the passage from Japan, by the 
coast of Asia, any way he could.” 











^^PIPkmbsIsSEPwIw^^ v-^^'W&S^Bn 

■^|^B|B^^E{;\ XffBSS^fuA 













WAT.RUS 







































































































































































































































































































































































































































28 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


The most agreeable method of acquiring a knowl¬ 
edge of Arctic geography is by the contemplation of 
the life of a great explorer. For by this biographical 
method, each coast and island, each bay and strait, 
is connected with some incident in the life-story of 
the discoverer or of his successors. Interest is thus 
given to what would otherwise be a mere list of 
names and life is breathed into the inorganic mass. 
A knowledge of the lives of John Davis and of his 
immediate successors, requires an intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with Davis Strait and its shores, with the east 
and west coasts of Greenland, with the Hudson River, 
Hudson Strait and Bay, and with Baffin’s Bay; in 


short, with all the nearer regions of Arctic America. 
It is desirable that the student should be conversant 
with the achievements of Arctic w'orthies in other 
parts of the world : because he should contemplate 
the complete life-stories of his heroes, and thus real¬ 
ize how, and by the possession of what qualifications 
their Arctic work was done. The thorough and 
complete grounding which such a study supplies is 
the best preparation for an examination of the labors 
of modern explorers and of the results of their work, 
which will include the acquisition of an intelligent 
knowledge and appreciation of the geography of the 
whole Arctic Regions. 


CHAPTER III. 

WILLIAM BARENTZ—1596. 


The Dutch, as we have seen, were rivals with the 
English in exploring the icy seas and snow-covered 
lands of the Arctic, and sentoutHudson ononeof his 
expeditions. Before this voyage of the Engl ish sailor, 
several attempts had been made by the merchants of 
Amsterdam to extend their trade in the northern seas 
They were acquainted with the labors of Willoughby, 
and the other English adventurers, and formed a 
resolution to adopt some route by way of the island 
of Nova Zembla. Funds were raised by the liberal 
and wealthy burghers and corporations of Amster¬ 
dam, a ship named the Mercare was fitted out, and 
William Barentz, a native of Terschelling, near the 
Texel, was appointed to command her. In 1594 he 
sailed for the north,sighted NovaZemblaJuly4th,and 
from that day to the 3d of August strove steadily,but 
fruitlessly, to force his way through the ice. No 
navigator had hitherto displayed such dogged per¬ 
severance, and it was only the urgent entreaties of 
his men that induced him to steer homeward. The 
reports that Barentz brought home, and the valuable 
astronomical observations he had made, were laid 
before the government of the States General, and 
their “High Mightinesses”resolved to take the matter 
in hand. They,therefore,fitted a small fleet of seven 
vessels, giving the command to Jacob van Heeins- 
kerke, and appointing Barentz as pilot. The expedi¬ 
tion was, however, a failure: the ships could not 
penetrate the ice-pack, and Heemskerke returned 
liome. As is often the case,governments shrink from 
enterprises which private individuals persevere in, 
and when the States-General refused to do more for 


Arctic exploration than offer a reward for the discov- 
ery of the northeast passage, the merchants of Am¬ 
sterdam again came to the front. They fitted out two 
ships, one commanded by Heemskerke, the other by 
Jan Comelissoon Rijp. Barentz, although he had 
only the name of pilot, was the real chief of the ex¬ 
pedition. On May 10, 1596, the ships set sail, and on 
June 5th sawtheir first masses of ice, “whereat they 
were much amazed, believing them at first tobewhite 
swans.” June 19th, they landed on a piece of land 
which they thought w'as part of Greenland, but to 
which, on account of its sharp-pointed mountains, 
they gave the name ofSpitzbergen. The ice, however, 
forced them back to the south, and, off Bear Island, 
Heemskerke’s ship, with Barentz on board, w'as sepa¬ 
rated from its comrade and Jan Rijp. Undeterred, 
however, by storm or danger, they turned northward 
©nee more,andon July 17th reached the west coast of 
Nova Zembla, which, in memory of the English sailor, 
they named Willoughby Land. On the 19th,their way 
was again blocked by ice, compelling them to change 
their course. Finally, after many hardships, they 
found themselves by the end of August surrounded 
by the ice-pack. For the story of the winter, with 
Its cold, poverty, misery and grief, we can quote from 
the journal of Gerrit de Veer, who was the second 
mate. On August 30th the masses of ice began to 
pile up around the ship; the snow fell thickly; 
the ship was lifted up by the pressure of the ice 
so that all about her and around "her began to 
crack and split. “ It seemed as if the ship must 
break into a thousand pieces, a thing most ter- 



29 


WILLIAM BARENTZ—\^()(>. 


rible to see and hear, and fit to make one’s hair 
stand on end.” She soon began to crack, and the 
crew were set to work landing provisions, sails, gun¬ 
powder, lead, arquebusses and arms, and building a 
hut to shelter themselves from the snow and from the 
attacks of the bears. On September i ith, the whole 
bay was filled with blocksof ice, and Barentz resolved 
to build a house there which would contain them ail. 
Fortunately, they found whole trees that drifted 
ashore, and these supplied them not only with timber 
for the house, but with.firewood. It is worthy of note 


On September 23d, the carpenter died, and was 
interred the next day on the cleft of a mountain, it 
being impossible to put a spade in the ground on 
account of the severity of the frost. The following 
days were devoted to the transportation of driftwood 
and the building of the house. To cover it in it was 
necessary to demolish the fore and aft cabins of the 
ship. The roof was put on October 2d, and a piece 
of frozen snow was set up like a May pole. On 
September 31st there was a strong wind from the 
north-west, and as far as the eye could reach the sea 



THE OPEN SEA. 


that these brave Dutchmen were the first to winter 
in these inhospitable regions. They had heard no 
accounts of what the winter would be ; they could 
not picture the sufferings that threatened them. They 
bore everything with admirable patience, without a 
single murmur, and without any breach of discipline, 
•The heroic example thev set has been a guiding star 
to other explorers who have had to pass the dreary 
winter in the Arctic wastes, and is one that ought 
never to be forgotten. The narrative of De Veer 
tells the tale of courage, suffering and death in 
words so simple that all can understand, and in a 
style so touching that additions only spoil it. 


was entirely open and without ice. “ But we re¬ 
mained as though taken and arrested in the ice, and 
the ship was raisedfulltwoorthreefeetupontheice, 
and we could imagine nothing else but that the water 
must be frozen quite to the bottom, although it was 
three fathoms and a half in depth.” On October 12th 
they began to sleep in the house, although it was not 
completed. On the 21st, the greater part of the 
provisions, furniture, and everything which might be 
wanted was withdrawn from the ship, for they felt 
certain that the sun was about to disappear. A 
chimney was fixed in the centre of the room; inside a 
Dutch clock was hung up ; bed places were formed 

































































3 ° 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


along the walls, and a wine cask was converted into 
a bath, for the surgeon had wisely prescribed to the 
men frequent bathing as a preservative of health. 
The quantity of snow which fell during this winter 
was really marvellous. The house disappeared en¬ 
tirely beneath this thick covering, which, however, 
sensibly raised the temperature within. Every time 
that they wished to go forth, the Dutchmen were 
obliged to hollow out a long corridor beneath the 
snow. Each night they first heard the bears and then 
the foxes, which walked upon the top of the dwelling 
and tried to tear off some planks from the roof that 
they might get into the house. So the sailors were 
accustomed to climb into the chimney, whence, as 
from a watch-tower, they could shoot the animals 



POLAR FOX. 


and drive them off. They had manufactured a great 
number of snares, into which fell numbers of blue 
foxes, the valuable fur of which served as a protec¬ 
tion against cold, while their flesh enabled the sailors 
to economize their provisions. Always cheerful 
and good-tempered, they bore equally well the tire¬ 
someness of the long polar night and the severity of 
the cold, which was so extreme that, during two or 
three days, when they had not been able to keep so 
large a fire as usual, on account of the smoke being 
driven back again by the wind, it froze so hard in 
the house that the walls and the floor w’ere covered 
with ice to the depth of two fingers, even in the cots 
where these poor people were sleeping.* It was nec¬ 
essary to thaw the sherry when it was served out, as 
was done every two days, at the rate of half a pint. 

“ On the 7th of December, the rough weather con¬ 
tinued, with a violent storm coming from the north¬ 


east, which produced horrible cold. We knew no 
means of guarding ourselves against it, and while we 
were consulting together what we could do for the 
best, one of our men, in this extreme necessity, pro¬ 
posed to make use of the coal which we had brought 
from the ship into our house, and to make a fire of 
it, because it burns with great heat and lasts a long 
time. In the evening we lighted a large fire of this 
coal, which threw out a great heat, but we did not 
provide against what might happen, for, as the heat 
revived us completely, we tried to retain it fora long 
time. To this end, we thought it well to stop up all 
the doors and the chimney to keep in all the delight¬ 
ful warmth. And thus, each went to repose in his 
cot, and, animated by the acquired warmth, we dis¬ 
coursed long together. But, in the end, we were 
seized with giddiness in the head ; some, however, 
more than others. This was first perceived to be 
the case with one of our men who was ill and who 
for this reason, had less power of resistance. And 
we also ourselves were sensible of a great pain which 
attacked us, so several of the bravest came out of 
their cots and began by unstopping the chimney and 
afterwards opening the door. But the man who 
opened the door fainted, and fell senseless upon the 
snow, on perceiving which I ran to him, and found 
him lying on the ground in a fainting fit. I went in 
haste to seek for some vinegar, and with it I rubbed 
his face until he recovered from his swoon. After¬ 
wards, when we were somewhat restored, the cap¬ 
tain gave to each a little wine, in order to comfort 
our hearts. ...” 

“On the nth, the weather continued fine, but so 
extremely cold that no one who had not felt it could 
imagine it; even our shoes, frozen to our feet, were 
as hard as horn, and inside they were covered with 
ice in such a manner that we could no longer use 
them. The garments which we wore were quite 
white with frost and ice.” 

On Christmas Day, December 25th, the weather 
was as rough as on the preceding days. The foxes 
made havoc upon the house, which one of the sailors 
declared to be a bad omen, and upon being asked 
why he said so, answered, “ Because we cannot put 
them in a pot, or on the spit, which would have been 
a good omen.” 

1 f the year 1596 had closed with excessive cold, the 
commencement of 1597 was not more agreeable. 
Most violent storms of snow and hard frost prevented 
the Dutchmen from leaving the house. They cele¬ 
brated Twelfth-night with gayety, as is related in the 
simple and touching narrative of Gernt de Veer. 













^.9S 


POLAR HKAK 

























































































32 


GREAT ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


this purpose, we besought the captain to allow us a 
little diversion in the midst of our sufferings, and to 
let us use a part of the wine which was destined to 
be served out to us every other day. Having two 
pounds of flour, we made some pancakes, with oil, 
and each one brought a white biscuit, which we 
soaked in the wine and eat. And it seemed to us 
that we were in our own country, and among our 
relations and friends; and we were as much diverted 
as if a banquet had been given in our honor, so much 
did we relish our entertainment. We also made a 
Twelfth-night King, by means of paper, and our 
master gunner was king of Nova Zembla, which is a 
country enclosed between two seas, and of the great 
length of 600 miles.” 

After January 21st the foxes became less nu- 
rnerous, the bears reappeared, and daylight began to 
increase.which enabled the Dutchmen.who had been 
so long confined to the house, to go out a little. On 
the 24th, one of the sailors, who had been long ill, 
died, and was buried in the snow at some distance 
from the house. On the 28th, the weather being fine, 
the men all went out, walking about, running for ex¬ 
ercise, and playing at bowls, to take off the stiffness 
of their limbs, for they were extremely weak, and 
nearly all suffering from scurvy. They were so much 
enfeebled that they were obliged to go to work sev¬ 
eral times before they could carry to their house the 
wood which was needful. At length,in the first days 
of March, after several tempests and driving snow¬ 
storms, they were able to verify the fact that there 
was no ice in the sea. Nevertheless, the weather 
was still rough, and the cold glacial. It was not feas¬ 
ible, as yet, to put to sea again, the rather because 
the ship was still embedded in the ice. On the 15th 
of April the sailors paid a visit to her, and found 
her in fairly good condition. 

At the beginning of May the men became some¬ 
what impatient, and asked Barentz if he were not 
soon intending to make the necessary preparations 
for departure. But Barentz answered that he must 
wait until the end of the month, and then, if it should 
be impossible to set the ship free, he would take 
measures to prepare the long-boats and the launch, 
and to render them fit for a sea voyage. On the 20th 
of the month the preparations for departure com¬ 
menced—with what joy and ardor it is easy to im¬ 
agine. Thelaunch wasrepaired.thesails were mended, 
and both boats were dragged to the sea and provis¬ 
ions put on board. Then, seeing that the water was 
free and that a strong wind was blowing, Heems- 
kerke went to see Barentz, who had been long ill. 


and declared to him “that it seemed good to him to 
set out from thence, and in God’s name to commence 
the voyage and abandon Nova Zembla.” 

“William Barentz had before this written a paper 
setting forth how we had started from Holland to go 
towards the kingdom of China, and all that had hap¬ 
pened, in order that if by chance some one should 
come after us it might be known what had befallen 
us. This note he enclosed in the case of a musket, 
which he hung up in the chimney.” 

On the i3thof June,i597,theDutchmanabandoned 
the ship, which had not stirred from her icy prison, 
and, commending themselves to the protection of 
God, the two open boats put to sea. They reached 
the Orange Islands, and again descended the west¬ 
ern coast of Nova Zembla, in the midst of cease¬ 
lessly recurring dangers. 

“ On the 20th of June, Nicholas Andrien became 
very weak, and we saw clearly that he would soon 
expire. The lieutenant of the governor came on 
board our launch and told us that Nicholas Andrien 
was very much indisposed, and that it was very evi¬ 
dent that his days would soon end. Upon which 
William Barentz said, ‘ It appears to me that my 
life also will be very short.’ We did not imagine 
that Barentz was so ill,for we were chatting together, 
and William Barentz was looking at the little chart 
which 1 had made of our voyage, and we had various 
discourses together. Finally he laid down the chart 
and said to me, ‘Gerard.give me something to drink.’ 
After he had drunk such weakness supervened that 
his eyes turned in his head, and he died so suddenly 
that we had not time to call the captain, who was in 
the other boat. This death of William Barentz sad¬ 
dened us greatly, seeing that he was our principal 
leader and our sole pilot, in whom we had placed our 
whole trust. But we could not oppose the will of 
God,and this thought quietedusa little.” Thusdied 
the illustrious Barentz, like his successors, Franklin 
and Hall, in the midst of his discoveries. In the 
measured and sober words of the short funeral ora¬ 
tion of Gerritde Veer may be perceived the affection, 
sympathy and confidence which this brave sailor had 
been able to inspire in his unfortunate companions. 
Barentz is one of the glories of Holland, so prolific 
in brave and skilful navigators. We shall mention 
presently what has been done to honor his memory. 

Through a succession of difficulties the two open 
boats pursued their course, passing the so-called Isle 
of Crosses where they found duck eggs. In July they 
met some Russian vessels, who gave them some help 
and provisions,which saved the Dutch from dying of 



WILLIAM BARENTZ—\^^(i. 


33 


hunger. When they reached Cape Kanin, on the 
other side of the White Sea, they heard from some 
fishermen that some countrymen of theirs were at 
Kola, just ready to put to sea. They therefore dis¬ 
patched thither one of their men, accompanied by a 
Laplander, who returned in three days with a letter 
signed Jan Rijp. The poor sailors could scarcely 
believe their eyes when they saw the signature of the 
comrade from whom they had parted the year before, 
and were only convinced when they had compared 
it with others which Heemskerke had in his posses¬ 
sion. But the good news was true news, and on Sep¬ 
tember 30th Rijp arrived with a boatload of pro- 
visions.and took his old companions back to the Kola 
River. He was much surprised at the accounts they 
gave him of their long voyage of 1,200 miles, and al¬ 
lowed them some daysof repose beforestartinghome- 
ward. Wholesome and abundant food refreshed them 
after their fatigues and cleared off the remains of 
scsrvy. With his rescued friends, Jan Rijp left the 
Kola River, and on November ist arrived at the city 
of Amsterdam. “ We had on,” says Gerrit de Veer, 
“ the same garments which we wore in Nova Zembla, 
having on our heads caps of white fox-skin, and we 
repaired to the house of PeterHasselear,who had been 
one of the guardians of the town of A msterdam charg¬ 
ed with presiding over the fitting out of the two ships 
of Jan Rijp and of our own captain. Arrived at his 
house, in the midst of general astonishment, because 
that we had been long thought dead, and this report 
had been spread throughout the town, the news of our 
arrival reached the palace of the Prince, where there 
were then at table the Chancellor, and the Ambas¬ 
sador of the high and mighty King of Denmark 
and Norway, of the Goths and Vandals. We were 
then brought before them by the ‘ Schout ’ two lords 
of the town, and we gave to the said lord Ambas¬ 
sador, and to their lordships the burgomasters, a 
narrative of our voyage. Afterwards each of us 
retired to his owm house. Those who had not dwel¬ 
lings in the town, were lodged in an inn until such 
time as we had received our money, when each went 
his own way. These are the names of the men who 
returned from this voyage: Jacob Heemskerke,clerk 
and captain,Peter Petersen Vos.Gerrit de Veer,mate, 
Jan Vos, surgeon, Jacob Jansen Sterrenberg, Leonard 
Henry, Laurence William, Jan Hillebrants, Jacob 
Jansen Hoochwout, Peter Corneille, Jacob de Buisen, 
and Jacob Everts.” Most of these names are still 
known in this good city of New Amsterdam. 

Of all these brave sailors we have nothing further 
^o record except that De Veer published the follow¬ 


ing year the narrative of his voyage, and that Heems¬ 
kerke after having made several cruises to India, re¬ 
ceived in 1607 the command of a fleet of twenty-six 
vessels, at the head of which, on the 25th of April, he 
had a severe battle with the Spaniards under the guns 
of Gibraltar, in which battle, although the Dutch 
were the conquerors, Heemskerke lost his life. 

The spot where the unfortunate Barentz and 
his companions had wintered was not revisited 
until 1871, nearly 300 years aftertheir time. Thefirst 
todoublethenorthern pointof NovaZembla.Barentz 
had remained alone in the achievement until this pe¬ 
riod. On the7th of September, Norwegia7i, 

Captain Elling Carlsen,well known by his numerous 
voyagesinthe NorthSea.andtheFrozen Ocean,arriv¬ 
ed at the ice haven of Barentz,and on the 9th he dis- 
coveredthehouse whichhadshelteredthe Dutchmen. 
It was in such a wonderful state of preservation,that 
it seemed to have been built but a day,and everything 
was found in the same position as at the departure of 
the shipwrecked crew. Bears, foxes and other crea¬ 
tures inhabitingthese inhospitable regions had alone 
visited the spot. Around the house were standing 
some large puncheons and there were heaps of seal, 
bear, and walrus bones. Inside everything was 
in its place It was the faithful reproduction 
of the curious engraving of Gerrit de Veer. The 
bed-places were arranged along the partition as 
well as the clock, the muskets, and the hal¬ 
berd. Among the household utensils, the arms, 
and variousobjectsbrought awayby Captain Carlsen, 
we may mention two copper cooking pans, some 
goblets, gun-barrels, augers and chisels, a pair of 
boots, nineteen cartridge-cases, of which some were 
still filled with powder, the clock, a flute, some locks 
and padlocks, twenty-six pewter candlesticks, some 
fragments of engravings, and three books in Dutch, 
one of which, the last edition of Mendoza’s“ History 
of China,” shows the goal which Barentz sought in 
this expedition, and a “ Manual of Navigation,” 
proves the care taken by the pilot to keep himself 
well up in all professional matters. 

Upon his return to the Portof Hammerfest,Captain 
Carlsen met with a Dutchman, W. Lister Kay, wha 
purchased the Barentz relics, and forwarded them 
to the authorities of the Netherlands. These ob-' 
jects have been placed in the Naval Museum at 
The Hague where a house, open in front, has been 
constructed precisely similar to the one represented 
in the drawing of Gerrit de Veer, and each object 
or instrument brought back has been placed in the 
very position which it occupied in the house in Nova 



34 


GJ^A'A r A ACT/C TAA VALLA AS. 


Zembla. Surrounded by all the respect and affec¬ 
tion which they merit, these precious witnesses of 
a maritime event so important as the first win¬ 
tering in the Arctic regions, these touching reminis¬ 
cences 'Of Barentz, Heemskerke and their rough 
companions, constitute one of the most interesting 
monuments in the museum. Beside the clock is placed 
a copper dial,through the middleof which a meridian 
is drawn. This curious dial, invented by Plancius, 


which served without doubt to determine the varia¬ 
tions of the com pass, is now the only example extant 
of a nautical instrument which has never been in very 
general use. For this reason it is as precious as, 
from another point of view, are the flute used by Ba¬ 
rentz, and the shoes of the poor sailor who died dur¬ 
ing the winter sojourn. It is impossible to behold 
this curious collection without experiencing poign¬ 
ant emotion. 


CHAPTER IV. 

V. BEHRING AND BEHRING’S STRAIT—(1728). 



A LOOK at the map of the Arctic regions shows us 
that the whole European and Asiatic shores of the 
Polar Ocean are possessed by one great power, name¬ 
ly, Russia: and the readers of the previous chapters 
will remember that it was the kindness of Russian 
traders and fishermen that lentaid and support to the 
English and Dutch explorers in the darkest hours of 
their distress. It is now our task to give some sketch 
of the labors of Russian travellers in the inhospitable 
north. 

The geographical position of Russia compelled its 
northern tribes to search for an outlet for its trade 
through the rivers that flow into the Arctic Sea, 
while the frugal habits of the Russians and their ex¬ 
perience of the rigorous climate of the north, ren¬ 
dered them especially fitted for explorers in the snow- 
covered regions of thick-ribbed icewhich extend from 


the North Cape to the waters that separate Asia from 
America. This narrow piece of water is known to us 
all as Behring’s Strait: and we shall now proceed to 
give a brief account of its famous discoverer. 

Vitus Behring, or Bering, as he spelled his name, 
was a Dane by birth, born in the year 1681, who very 
early in life went to sea, and made several voyages to 
the East Indies. In one of these voyages he made 
the acquaintance of a Norwegian sailor. Admiral Con¬ 
go, of the Russian navy, and by his advice Behring 
entered the service of the Czar.becoming a sub-lieu¬ 
tenant in the navy in his twenty-second year. He 
rose steadily in his profession, and in 1720 was acap- 
tain of the second rank. In 1724 he was appointed 
chiefof the Kamchatkan Expedition,and wascharged 
with the task of ascertaining whether Asia and 
America were connected by land. 

The expedition started from St. Petersburg, Feb. 5, 
1725, and passed the first summer in traversing Si¬ 
beria; the winter was spent in Ilenisk; and the sec¬ 
ond summer saw the exploring party working its way 
eastward, till it reached Okhotsk, in October. Not, 
however, till midsummer, 1728, did Behring arrive at 
the spot where his test task was to begin. This was 
a palisaded fort in Kamchatka, surrounded by a few 
huts, and occupied by a handful of Cossack. The 
fort was twenty miles from the sea, and surrounded 
by forests of larch. 

Here, in 1728, he built a ship called the Gabriel, 
The timber was dragged down to the shore by dogs, 
the tarthe explorers made themselves, while the cord¬ 
age, cables and anchors had been brought nearly 
two thousand miles, through one of the most desolate 
regions of the earth. Their provisions were chiefly 
dried fish and fish oil. On Julypth.the Ga 3 r/^/started 








y. BEHRING AND BEHRING STRAIT. 




fier crew consisted of forty-four men, of whom nine 
were soldiers. Her course was nearly all the time 
along the coast; and on August iith, a month after 
the beginning of the voyage, she sighted St. Lawrence 
Island, in latitude 64° 20', and thus was in the strait 
that separated the Western from the Eastern hemi¬ 
sphere. On August 15th, Behring determined to turn 
back, and on September 2d entered the Kamchatka 
River. Behring turned back because he felt sure that 


explored higher to the north than Cape Blanco in 
California. 

During the winter of 1728-29, which Behring spent 
in the Kamchatka fort, he heard from the natives that 
there was land away to the east, with large rivers and 
forests of high trees, and that midway lay an island 
which was visible in clear weather. He started out 
to find it, but again luck was against him, and storms 
drove him back. 




r 


SLEDGE-DRIVING. 



he had sailed round the north-eastern corner of 
Asia, and was convinced that it was possible to sail 
from the Lena River to Kamchatka, and thence to 
Japan and the East Indies. 

At the most northern spot that Behring reached, 
the strait is 39 miles wide, and hence, under favorable 
circumstances, he might have seen the American 
shore. Unfortunately, the weather, during the whole 
time, was dark and cloudy. Behring has been blamed 
for not cruising about to the eastward in search of 
land, but it must be remembered that his orders were 
to discover a passage from the mouth of the Lena to 
the Pacific, and that the American coast had not been 


On his return to St. Petersburg, in 1730, he did not 
receive the warm welcome he hoped for, and, indeed, 
doubts of his statements were freely expressed. To 
justify his reports, he resolved to make further explo¬ 
rations, on a larger scale ; and, accordingly, presented 
his plans to the Admiralty; in one of these he pro¬ 
posed to explore the west coast of America, and to 
chart the Arctic coast of Siberia, from the Obi to the 
Lena. In 1732, after weary years of waiting, the Rus¬ 
sian Senate approved of his plans, and in the follow¬ 
ing year the expedition began to set out from the 
Capital. The whole expedition comprised 570 men, 
but of these only three officers and 157 men were as- 














36 


GI?EA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


signed to the Arctic Exploration. It required great 
inducements to obtain officers, for, in St. Petersburg, 
the expedition was looked on as a mild sort of ban¬ 
ishment, while the rank and file were threatened with 
all kinds of cruel punishments. We need not detail 
his long and tiresome march through Siberia, but in 
October, 1734, he was in Gakutsk, where he built two 
vessels the Gakutsk, a sloop, and a decked boat Ir¬ 
kutsk. The latter, under the command of a Swede, 
named Lassenius, reached the Lena delta, August 2, 
1736, and near this uninhabited spot he prepared to 
pass the winter. He built a house from some drift¬ 
wood, but had to reduce the rations served out to his 
men. On November 6th the Polar night began, and 
shortly after the whole crew was attacked by scurvy, 
and so severe and deadly was the disease, that Las¬ 
senius and most of his men perished, only eight sur¬ 
vivors being found alive by the party sent by Behring 
to assist them. 

The unfortunate result of this expedition, while it 

injured Behring in 
the opinion of the 
Russian Govern¬ 
ment, did not in¬ 
terrupt the series 
of Arctic explora¬ 
tions which, be¬ 
tween the years 
1734 and 1743, 
were pushed on in 
six different direc¬ 
tions. 

For a whole de¬ 
cade these dis¬ 
coverers struggled 
with all the obsta- 
les which a terri¬ 
ble climate and the 
resources of a half 
developed country 
obliged them to 
contend with. They 
surmounted these 
obstacles. The ex¬ 
peditions were re¬ 
newed two, three 
—yes, even four 
times. If the ves¬ 
sels were frozen in they were hauled upon shore the 
next spring, repaired, and the expedition continued. 
And if these intrepid fellows were checked in their 
course by masses of impenetrable ice, they continued 


their explorations on dog sledges, which here for the 
first time were employed in Arctic exploration. Cold, 
scurvy, and every degree of di.scomfort wrought sad 
havoc among them, but many survived the long polar 
winter in miserable 
wooden huts or 
barracks. Nowhere 
has Russian hardi¬ 
ness erected for 
itself a more en¬ 
during monument. 

It was especially 
the projecting 
points and penin¬ 
sulas in this region 
that caused these 
explorers innumer- 
able difficulties. 

These points and 
capes had hitherto 
been unknown, for 
crude maps of this 
period represented 
the Arctic coast of 
Siberia as almost a 
straight line. It 
was first necessary 
for the navigators 
to send carto¬ 
graphers to these 
regions, build bea¬ 
cons and sea¬ 
marks, establish magazines, collect herds of reindeer^ 
which, partly as an itinerant food supply and partly to 
be used as an eventual means of conveyance, fol¬ 
lowed the vessels along the coast, while here and 
there, especially on the Taimyr peninsula, small fish¬ 
ing stations were established for supplying the 
vessels. 

It is necessary to dwell a little longer on these ex¬ 
peditions. Their main object was not so much the 
charting of northern Siberia, as the discovery and 
navigation of the north-east passage. From this point 
of view alone they must be considered. They were 
an indirect continuation of the West European expe¬ 
ditions for the same purpose, but far more rational 
than these. For this reason, Behring had, on his ex¬ 
peditions (1725-30), first sought that thoroughfare 
between the two hemispheres, without which a north¬ 
east and a north-west passage could not exist. For 
this reason also he had, on his far-sighted plan, under¬ 
taken the navigation of the Arctic seas where this had 




































V. BEHRING AND BEHRING STRAIT. 


37 



not already been done, and for this same reason the 
Admiralty sought carefully to link together their ex¬ 
plorations to the West European termini, on the coast 
of Nova Zembla. 

A north-east passage alone promised the empire 
such commercial and political advantages that the 
enormous expenditures and the frightful hardships 
which these expeditions caused Siberia might 
be justified. 

In 1740 Behring had sailed from the 
harbor of Okhotsk, and in the latter part of 
September had entered Avocha Bay, where 
he built a fort which was named after his 
two ships, the St. Peter and the St. Paul, 
and is now the town of Petropaulovski. 

From this harbor he set out in' May of the 
following year, he himself being in command 
of the St. Peter, and Lieutenant Chirikoff in 
command of the St. Paul. The expedition 
was accompanied by the famous naturalist 
Stetter, to whom we owe much of our knowl¬ 
edge of the wild animals of the region. 

After a prayer service, the ships weighed 
, anchor on the 4th of June, 1741. According 
to the plan adopted, a south-easterly course 
was taken, and in spite of some unfortunate 
friction, Behring gave Chirikoff the lead, so 
as to leave him no cause of complaint. They 
kept their course until the afternoon of June 
12th, when they found themselves, after hav¬ 
ing.sailed over six hundred miles in a south¬ 
easterly direction, in latitude 46” 9' N. and 
14° 30^ east of Avocha. According to their 
maps they should long before have come 
to the coasts of Gamaland, but as they only 
saw sea and sky, Behring gave the command 
to turn back. With variable and unfavor¬ 
able winds, they worked their way, during 
the few succeeding days, in a north north¬ 
east direction up to latitude 49° 30^ where 
Chirikoff, on the 20th of June, in storm and 
fog, left Behring, and sailed east north-east 
in the direction of the American coast with¬ 
out attempting to keep with the St. Peter. 

This was the first real misfortune of the ex¬ 
pedition, For 48 hours Behring kept close to the 
place of separation in hopes of again joining the St. 
Paul, and, as this proved fruitless, he convened a ship’s 
council, at which it was decided to give up all further 
search for the St. Paid. It was also resolved, in order 
to remove every doubt, to sail again to the 46th de¬ 
gree to find Gamaland. Having arrived here, some 


birds were seen, whereupon they continued their 
course, but without any results. During the four suc¬ 
ceeding weeks the ship’s course was between north 
and east, towards the western continent, but, as on 
their southern course they had come out upon the 
depths of Tuscarora, which, several thousand fathoms 
deep, run right up to the Aleutian reef, their sound¬ 


A STORM IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN, 

ings gave them no clew to land, although they were 
sailing almost parallel with this chain of islands. 
Behring, however, was now confined to his cabin. 
The troubles he had passed through, his sixty years 
of age, and the incipient stages of scur\7, had crushed 
his powers of resistence, while his officers, Waxel and 
Khitroff, dismissed .Steller’s observations with scornful 













3 ^ 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


sarcasm. Not until the 12th of July did they take any 
precautions against running ashore. They took in 
some of the sails during the niglit and hove to. They 
had then been on the sea about six weeks. Their 
supply of water was about half gone, and.according to 
the ship’s calculations, they had sailed 46^® from the 
meridian of Avocha. The ship’s council therefore 
concluded, on the i3thof July,to sail due north, head¬ 
ing north north-east, and at noon on the i6th of July 
they finally saw land to the north. The country was 
elevated, the coast was jagged, covered with snow, 
inhospitable, and girt with islands, behind which a 
snow-capped mountain-peak towered so high into the 
clouds that it could be seen at a distance of seventy 
miles. “ I do not remember,” saysSteller, “of having 
seen a higher mountain in all Siberia and Kam¬ 
chatka.” This mountain was the volcano St. Elias, 
which is about 18,000 feet high. Behring had thus 
succeeded in discovering America from the east. As 
theyhadaheadwind.they moved very slowly towards 
the north, and not until the morning of the 20th did 
they cast anchor off the western coast of an island, 
which they called St. El ias in honor of the patron saint 
of the day. On the same day, Khitroff, with fifteen 
men, went in the ship’s boat to search for a harbor 
andtoexplorethe island and itsnearestsurroundings. 
Steller, who had desired to accompany him, was put 
ashore with the crew that brought fresh waterfrom 
St. Elias, and endeavored, as well as it was possible 
in a few hours, to investigate the natural history of 
the island. Khitroff circumnavigated the island and 
found various traces of human habitation. Thus, 
on one of the adjacent islands a timbered house was 
found containing a fireplace, a bark basket, a wooden 
spade, some mussel shells and a whetstone, which 
apparently had been used for sharpening copper im¬ 
plements. In an earth hut,another detachment found 
some smoked fish, a broken arrow, the remains of a 
fire, and several otherthings. Thecoastof the main- 
landwhichwasmountainouswithsnow-capped peaks 
was seen at a distance of eight miles. A good 
harbor was foundon the north sideof thelarge island. 
All the islands were covered with trees, but these 
were so low and slender that timber available for 
yards was not to be found. In his venturesome wan¬ 
derings here, only now and then accompanied by a 
Cossack, Steller penetrated these woods, where he 
discovered a cellar which contained articles of food 
and various implements. As some of these things 
were sent on board, Behring, by way of indemnifica¬ 
tion, caused an iron kettle to be placed there, a pound 
of tobacco, a Chinese pipe, and a piece of silk cloth. 


It was the night between the 5th and 6th of No¬ 
vember that the S/. Peter reached this coast. On 
the 6th the weather was calm and clear, but the crew 
were kept on board from weakness and work, and 
only Steller could go ashore with a few of the sick. 
They immediately betook themselves to examining 
the country, and walked along the coast on either 
side. Was this an island, or was it the mainland ? 
Could they expect to find human assistance,and could 
they reach home by land ? After two days of explor¬ 
ation, Steller succeeded in satisfying himself on these 
points, although it was nearly six months before he 
definitely ascertained that the place was an island. 
Unlike Kamchatka, the country was treeless, having 
only a few trailing willows of the thickness of a fin¬ 
ger. Theanimals of the coast were entirely new and 
strange, even to him, and showed no fear whatever. 
They had no sooner left the ship than they saw sea- 
otters, which they first supposed to be bears or glut¬ 
tons. Arctic foxes flocked about them in such num¬ 
bers that they could strike down three or four score 
of them in a couple of hours. The most valuable fur¬ 
bearing animals stared at them curiously, and along 
thecoast Steller saw with wonderment whole herds of 
sea-cows grazing on the luxuriant algae of the strand. 
Not only had he never seen this animal before, but 
even his Kamchatka Cossack did not know it. From 
this fact Steller concluded that the island must be un¬ 
inhabited. As the trend of Kamchatka was not the 
same as that of the islands, and as the flora was 
nevertheless identical, and as he moreover found a 
window-frame of Russian workmanship that had 
been washed ashore, he was convinced that the 
country must be a hitherto unknown island in the 
vicinity of Kamchatka. Behring shared this view,but 
the other officers still clung to their illusions, and 
when Waxel, on the evening of the 6th, came ashore, 
he even spoke of sending a message for conveyance. 
Steller, on the other hand, began to make prepara¬ 
tions for the winter. In the sand-banks, near an ad¬ 
jacent stream, he and his companions dug a pit and 
made a roof of driftwood and articles of clothing. To 
cover up cracks and crevices on the sides, they piled 
up the foxes they had killed. Steller exerted himself 
to obtain wild fowl, seal-beef and vegetable nourish¬ 
ment for the sick, who were gradually taken ashore 
and placed under sail tents upon the beach. Their 
condition was terrible. Some died on deck as soon 
as they were removed from the close air of their 
berths, others in the boat, as they were being taken 
ashore, and still others on the coast itself. All at¬ 
tempts at discipline were abandoned, and those who 



r. BEHRING AND BEHRING STRAIT. 


39 



were well, grouped themselves into small companies, 
according as they liked best. The sick and dying 
were seen on every hand. Some complained of the 
cold, others of hunger and thirst, and the majority of 
them were so afflicted with scurvy that their gums, 
like a dark brown sponge, grew over 
and entirely covered their teeth. The 
dead before they could be buried were 
devoured by foxes, which in count¬ 
less numbers flocked about, not even 
fearing to attack the sick. 

More than a week elapsed before 
the last of the sick were taken ashore. 

On November loth the commander 
was removed. He was well protected 
against the influence of the outer air, 
and was laid for the night under a 
tent on the strand. It snowed heav¬ 
ily. Steller passed the evening with 
him and marveled at his cheerfulness 
and his singular contentment. They 
weighed the situation, and discussed 
the probability of their whereabouts. 

Behring was no more inclined than 
Steller to think that they had reached 
Kamchatka, or that their ship could 
be saved. The next day he was car¬ 
ried on a stretcher to the sand pits 
and placed in one of the huts by the 
side of Steller’s. The few men that 
were able to work sought to construct 
huts for all. Driftwood was collected, 
pits were dug and roofed, and pro¬ 
visions were brought from the ship. 

Steller was both cook and physician 
—the soul of the enterprise. On No¬ 
vember 13th, the barrack to be used 
as a hospital was completed, and 
thither the sick were immediately re¬ 
moved. But still the misery kept in¬ 
creasing. Steller had already given 
up all hopes of Behring’s discovery. 

Waxel, who had been able to keep up 
as long as they were at sea, now hov¬ 
ered between life and death. There 
was special anxiety on account of his 
low condition, as he was the only com¬ 
petent seaman that still had any influence, since 
Khitroff, by his hot and impetuous temper, had in¬ 
curred the hatred of all. Moreover, those sent to 
reconnoitre, returned with the news that in a west¬ 
erly direction they could find no connection with 


Kamchatka or discover the slightest trace of hu¬ 
man habitation. It became stormy; for several 
days the boat could not venture out, and the ship, 
their only hope, lay very much exposed near a rocky 
shore. The anchor was not a very good one, and 


SEEKING AN OUTLET. 

there was great danger that the vessel would be 
driven out to sea or be dashed to pieces on the rocks. 
The ten or twelve able-bodied men that were left, 
being obliged to stand in icy water half a day at a 
time, soon gave way under such burdens. Sickness 





















40 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


and want were on every hand. Despair stared them 
in the face, and not till November 25th, when the 
vessel was driven clear ashore and its keel buried 
deep in the sand, did their condition seem more se¬ 
cure. They then went quietly to work to prepare for 
the winter. 

In December the whole crew was lodged in five 
underground huts (dugouts) on the bank of the stream 
near the place of landing. The ship’s provisions 
were divided in such a way that every man daily re¬ 
ceived a pound of flour and some groats, until the 


numbered twelve, the majority of whom died during 
the last days of the voyage. During the landing and 
immediately afterwards nine more were carried away. 
The next death did not occur till November 22d. It 
was the excellent and worthy mate, the seventy-year- 
old Andreas Hesselberg who had plowed the sea for 
fifty years, and whose advice, had it been heeded, 
would have saved the expedition. Then came no 
less than six deaths in rapid succession ; and finally 
in December the commander and another officer 
died. The last death occurred January 6, 1742. In 



I! 

3 

■: 


WHALE. 


supply was exhausted. But they had to depend 
principally upon the chase, and subsisted almost ex¬ 
clusively upon the above mentioned marine animals 
and a stranded whale. Each hut constituted a family 
with its own economical affairs, and daily sent out 
one party to hunt and another to carry wood from 
the strand. In this way they succeeded in struggling 
through the winter, which on Behring Island is more 
characterized by raging snowstorms than severe cold. 

Meanwhile death made sad havoc among them. 
Before they reached Behring Island their dead 


all thirty-one men out of seventy-seven died on this 
ill-starred expedition. 

When Behring exerted his last powers to prevent 
the stranding of the Si Peier, he struggled for life. 
Before leaving Okhotsk he had contracted a malig¬ 
nant ague, which diminished his powers of resistance, 
and on the voyage to America scurvy was added to 
this. His sixty years of age, his heavy build, the 
trials and tribulations he had experienced, his sub¬ 
dued courage, and his disposition to quiet and inac¬ 
tivity, all tended to aggravate this disease; but he 





























ROSS—PARRY—BACK—RICHARDSON—FRANKL/N. 


4 * 


“would nevertheless,” says Steller, " without doubt 
have recovered if he could have gotten back to Avo- 
cha, where he could have obtained proper nourish- 
ment and enjoyed the comfort of a warm room.” In a 
sand-pit on the coastof Behring Island, liis condition 
was hopeless. For blubber, the only medicine at 
hand, he had an unconquerable loathing. Nor was 
the frightful sufferings he saw about him, his chagrin 
caused by the fate of the expedition, and his anxiety 
for the future of his men, at all calculated to check 
his disease. From hunger, cold, and grief he slowly 
pined away. “ He was, so to speak, buried alive. 
The sand kept continually rolling down upon him 
from the sides of the pit and covered his feet. At 
first this was removed, but finally he asked that it 
might remain, as if furnished him with a little of the 
warmth he so sorely needed. Soon half of his body was 
under the sand, so that after his death his comrades 
had to exhume him to give him a decent burial.” He 
died on the 8th of December, 1741, two hours before 
daybreak, from inflammation of the bowels. 

“Sad as his death was,”says Steller, “that intre¬ 
pid ity and seriousness with which he prepared to meet 
death was most worthy of admiration.” He thanked 
God for having been his guide from youth, and for 


having given him success through life. He sought in 
every way possible to encourage his companions in 
misfortune to hopeful activity, and inspire them with 
faith in Providence and the future. Notwithstand¬ 
ing his conviction that they had been cast upon the 
shores of an unknown land, he was not disposed to 
discourage the others by expressing himself on this 
point. On the 9th of December his body was interred 
in the vicinity of the huts, between the graves of the 
second mate and the steward. At the departure from 
the island a plain wooden cross was placed upon the 
grave, which also served to show that the island be¬ 
longed to the Russian crown. This cross was 
newed several times, and in the sixties, so far ag is 
known, twenty-four men erected a monument to 
his honor in the governor’s garden, the old church¬ 
yard, in Petropaulovsk, wheue a monument to th? 
unfortunate La Perouse is also found, and where 
Cook’s successor. Captain Clerke, found his las‘ 
resting-place. 

We have given at some length the story of poo' 
Behring’s voyages and death, as he was one of the 
early explorers who is most intimately connected 
with our territory of Alaska, and the sea which- 
bears his name. 


CHAPTER V. 

ROSS—PARRY—BACK—RICHARDSON—FRANKLIN—THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN. 


In 1743, the British legislature stimulated the en¬ 
thusiasm of the nation, and recalled the attention of 
British seamen to the gallant and successful labors 
of their ancestors in the Polar World, by the offer 
of a reward of £10,000 for the discov^ery of the 
North-west Passage. Several voyages were accord¬ 
ingly undertaken, though not with successful issues, 
and these were chiefly made through Behring Strait 
to the east, in the belief that an open sea lay be¬ 
tween it and Hudson Bay. 

Between 1769and 1772 the intrepid Hearne made 
three land journeys to the American shore of the 
Frozen Ocean. In the last of these he discovered 
the Coppermine River, which he traced to its source. 
In 1773 Captain Phipps (afterwards Lord Mulgrave), 
was sent out by the Admiralty with orders to make 
for the North Pole, as his primary object, and to take 
all such magnetic and meteorological observations, 
and to collect all such scientific data as might possess 
a distinctive value,as his secondary object. Phipps 
took the Spitzbergen route, but pentrated no further 


north than 80“ 48'. Nelson served as a midshipman 
on board this expedition, and met with the charac¬ 
teristic adventure with a Polar bear which Southey 
has described so pleasantly. 

Baffled but not discouraged, the British Parlia¬ 
ment now offered (in 1776) in addition to its pre¬ 
vious proposal, a sum of _£2o,ooo for the actual dis¬ 
covery of the Pole, a similar sum for the discovery 
of any communication between the North Atlantic 
and North Pacific, and ^£5,000 to any person who 
should attain to within one degree of the Pole. 

The last voyage undertaken by Captain Cook was 
in this direction. He passed through Behring Strait 
but got no further than 70° 45'. 

In 1789, the Mackenzie River was discovered by 
Sir George Mackenzie. The next name on the glori¬ 
ous record is that of Captain (afterwards Doctor) 
William Scoresbj% well known as a successful and 
adventurous whaler. In one of his voyages (in 1806) 
while lying-to for whales in what are called the 
‘ ‘ Greenland Seas,” on the east side of Greenland, he 






42 


GA'EA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 



resolved to deviate from the beaten track and push 
towards the “ Polar Sea,” in the existence of which he 
strongly believed. Forcing his way through the 
pack-ice with almost incredible boldness and energy, 
he actually succeeded in clearing the formidable bar¬ 
rier and entering “ a great openness or 
sea of water,” reached the high latitude 
of 8i° 30' N. In no succeeding voyage 
did he repeat this remarkable achieve¬ 
ment ; but he added largely to our knowl¬ 
edge of the eastern coast of Greenland, 
and accumulated much valuable and in¬ 
teresting information on the physical 
phenomena and natural history of the 
Arctic Regions. His various publica¬ 
tions, moreover, contributed to keep alive 
the national interest in the work of mari¬ 
time discovery, and led, more or less 
directly, to the celebrated expeditions of 
Parry, Ross, and Franklin. 

In 1818, the British Government re¬ 
solved on an energetic effort to discover 
the long-wished-ior passage, and for this 
purpose the Isabella and the Alexander^ 
two stout and well-found brigs, were 
placed under the orders of Captain John 
Ross, an officer who had already had 
some experience of the Northern Seas. 

The Alexander was commanded by 
Lieutenant Parry, a man of strong char¬ 
acter and much scientific ardor. The 
two ships sailed on the i8th of April, 

1818, and took the usual Baffin Bay 
route. In latitude 75° 54' N., Ross fell 
in with an Esquimau tribe who had never 
before seen the white men, and ad¬ 
dressed them with the inquiries, “ Who 
are you ? Whence come you 1 Is it 
from the sun or moon ? ” To these sav¬ 
ages Ross gave the name of “ Arctic 
Highlanders,” by no means a compliment 
to the hardy Gaels of Caledonia. Farther 
north, he came upon a line of cliffs cov¬ 
ered with red snow ; a phenomenon now 
known to be due to the abundant pre¬ 
sence in the snow of a minute lichen, 
called Jhe Protococcus nivalis. 

At the farthest point which he reached, 

Ross was too far south to discern more than the out¬ 
line of the land near Smith Sound ; but he named the 
bold headlands which guard the entrance to this chan¬ 
nel after his ships. Cape Isabella and Cape Alexander. 


Descending the west side of the bay, he found the 
waters clear of ice and extremely deep. The land 
was high, and the range of mountains, in general, free 
from snow. A noble inlet, nearly fifty miles wide, 
with cliffs on both sides, now offered itself to view. 


IN THE GREENLAND SEAS. 

and the ships entered it on the 29th of August. But 
they had scarcely accomplished thirty miles when 
Ross, to the surprise and vexation of his officers, de¬ 
clared that he saw land stretching across the inlet at 











































ROSS—PARRY—BACK—RICHARDSON—FRANKLIN. 


43 



a distance of eight leagues, and ordered the ships to 
tack about and return. To this imaginary land he 
gave the name of Croker Mountains. Parry, on the 
other hand, was of opinion that this great inlet, now 
recognized as the Sir James Lancaster Sound of 
Baffin, was no land-locked bay, but a strait opening 
out to the westward; and on the return of the two 
ships to England he openly declared his opinion. 
The English public supported the ener¬ 
getic Parry ; and after a vigorous wordy 
warfare, the Government resolved to 
place him in charge of the Hecla bomb- 
ship, and the Griper gunboat brig, with 
which he sailed for the North on the 
5th of May, 1819. 

On the 15th of June became in sight of 
Cape Farewell, and then steered north¬ 
ward, up Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, as 
far as latitude 73°, where he found him¬ 
self hemmed in by masses of ice. On 
the 25th, however, a way opened up, and 
Parry pushed forward, boldly and ener¬ 
getically, until he reached Lancaster 
Sound. Here he w’as on the ground 
made familiar by the expedition of the 
preceding year, and was soon to deter¬ 
mine whether Ross’s supposed moun¬ 
tains had any real existence. “ It is more 
easy to imagine than describe,” says 
Parry, “the almost breathless anxiety 
which was now visible on every counte¬ 
nance, while, as the breeze increased to a 
fresh gale, we ran quickly up the sound.” 

As they advanced the “Croker Moun¬ 
tains” disappeared into “thin air,” and 
Parry proceeded as far as the mouth of 
a great inlet, which he named Barrow 
, Strait. Entering this,he sailed onward to 
Prince Regent Inlet, which, with various 
capes, bays and islands, he named and 
surveyed. Onapproachingthe magnetic 
(not the actual) North Pole,he found his 
compasses rendered almost useless by 
the “ dip” or “ variation ” of the needle. Great was 
then the excitement on board the two ships; and 
the excitement increased to enthusiasm when, on 
September 4th, after crossing the meridian of 113" 
W. longitude. Parry announced to his men that 
they had earned the Government grant of _^5,ooo. 

Two weeks later, they were beset by the ice, and in 
the Hecla and Griper Bay, on Melville Island, Parry 
resolved to pass the winter. In the following year. 


the thaw did not set in until July, and it was August 
before Parry released his ships. Then he started 
for home, and, on arriving in England, about the 
middle of November, 1820, was received with a 
hearty welcome. 

His success led to his appointment to the com¬ 
mand of another expedition in 1821. His ships, the 
Hecla and Fury, were equipped with every appliance 


that scientific ingenuity could suggest or unlimited 
resources provide. They sailed from the Nore on the 
8th of May; they returned to the Shetland Isles on 
the loth of October, 1823. In the interval—seven and 
twenty months—Parry and Lyon (his 1 ieutenant) dis¬ 
covered the Dukeof York Bay,numerous islets on the 
north-east coast of the American mainland, Winter 
Island, the islands of Annatook and Ooght, Hecla 
and Fury Strait, Melville Peninsula and Cockbam 


PARKY. 










44 


GREAT ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


Island. A glance at the map will show the reader 
how far to the westward these discoveries carried the 
boundary of the known region. While encamped on 
Winter Island, the English were visited by a party of 
Esquimaux, whose settlement they visited in turn. 
There they found a group of five snow huts with 
canoes, sledges, dogs, and above sixty men, women 
and children, as regularly and to all appearance as 
permanently fixed as if they had occupied the same 
spot the whole winter. The astonishment with which 
the English surveyed the exterior aspects of this little 
village was not diminished by their admission into 
the interior of the huts composing it. Each was con¬ 


structed entirely of snow and ice. After creeping 
through two low passages, having each its arched 
doorway, the strangers found themselves in a small 
circular apartment, of which the roof formed a per¬ 
fect arched dome. From this central apartment three 
doorways, also arched, and of larger dimensions than 
the outward ones, opened into as many inhabited 
apartments, one on each side, and the third opposite 
the entrance. Here the women were seated on their 
beds, against the wall, each having her little fire¬ 
place or lamp, with all her domestic utensils about 
her. The children quickly crept behind their 
mothers; the dogs slunk into the corners in dismay. 

The construction of the inhabited part of the hut 


was similar to that of the outer apartment, being a 
dotne, formed by separate blocks of snow laid with 
great regularity and no small ingenuity, each being 
cut into the shape requisite to build up a substantial 
arch, from seven to eight feet high in the centre, 
and with no other support than this principle of 
building supplies. Sufficient light was admitted by 
a circular wdndow of ice, neatly fitted into the roof 
of each apartment. 

We must now return to the year 1819, when the 
British Government, in its desire to complete the con¬ 
quest of the North Pole, resolved on an overland ex¬ 
ploration as supplemental to its efforts by sea. It 
was resolved to survey the coast eastward 
from the Coppermine River to Behring 
Strait, and for this purpose an expedition 
was equipped, consisting of Lieutenant 
Franklin as leader. Dr. Richardson as 
naturalist, two midshipmen of high char¬ 
acter—Messrs. Hood and Back, and two 
picked English seamen. 

They arrived at York Factory, Hudson 
Bay, on the 30th of August; left it on the 
9th of September; and reached Cumberland 
House, another of the Hudson Bay Com¬ 
pany’s settlements, on the 22d of October— 
having accomplished a journey of 690 miles 
in forty-two days. After resting for a while, 
Franklin and Back went forward by them¬ 
selves to Chipewyan, near the west point of 
Athabasca Lake in order to superintend the 
preparations being made for their intended 
adventure. It was a terrible journey. The 
cold was frightful, and beyond measure¬ 
ment, because the thermometer was frozen. 
Provisions were scarce, and every move¬ 
ment caused intense physical pain. But 
moral courage carried them over every 
difficulty, and Chipewyan was reached at last. 

Here they waited until the rest of the party came 
up ; and then, attended by a train of Canadian boat¬ 
men and Indians, they moved onward some 500 
miles to Fort Enterprise, where a small hut was built 
of pine-wood to shelter them during the winter. It 
stood on a gentle ascent, at the base of which slept 
the frozen current of Waiter River. Here the explor¬ 
ers employed themselves in killing reindeer and in 
preparing with their fat and flesh that dried, salted 
and pounded comestible called pemmican. About 
one hundred and eighty animals were killed. But 
even this number did not furnish an adequate supply 
for Franklin’s party ; and as the expected stores of 



CAPE ALEXANDER. 



ROSS—PA PP 1 '—£A CK—P/CHAPDSON—FPA S 'KL IN. 


45 


tobacco, ammunition and blankets did not arrive, Mr. 
Back, with some Indian and Canadian attendants, re¬ 
turned to Chipewyan for them. Having obtained 
them, he once more rejoined the party at Fort Enter¬ 
prise—after an absence of five months and a journey 
of 1,104 oiiles, in “ snow-shoes and with no other cov¬ 
ering at night in the woods than a blanket and deer¬ 
skin.” 

It was the middle of June, 1821, before the ice 
broke up in the Coppermine River. Then Franklin 
began his journey, passing down the stream in light 


excellent harbors, all o^ them supplied with small 
rivers of fresh water abounding with salmon, trout 
and other fish. The survey of George the Fourth’s 
Coronation Gulf—to adopt Franklin’s barbarous no¬ 
menclature—being completed, the explorers prepared 
to return to Fort Enterprise. The overland part of 
the journey was attended with the most terrible hard¬ 
ships. They suffered from the combined afflictions 
of cold, hunger and fatigue. They were so reduced 
in bodily strength that it was with difficulty they 
could drag along their languid limbs; and when 



SNOW HUTS. 


birch canoes, and occasionally pausing to hunt the 
reindeer, musk-oxen and wolves which frequented its 
banks. Having reached the mouth of the river, the 
twenty adventurers launched their barks into the Polar 
Sea, which they found almost tideless and compara¬ 
tively free from ice. 

The extreme westward point at which, after many 
experiences, Franklin arrived, was situated in lat. 68 
30^ and he appropriately named it Point Turnagain. 
Between this headland on the east and Cape Barrow 
on the west, a deep gulf opens inland as far south as 
the Arctic circle. It was found to be studded with 
numerous islands, and indented with sounds affording 


at last within forty miles of their winter asylum, they 
found themselves at their last ration. No food, no 
shelter, and the severity of an Arctic winter pressing 
upon them ! Mr. Back, with three of the stoutest 
Canadians, gallantly started forward to seek assist¬ 
ance, and were followed in a few days by Franklin 
and seven of the party—leaving the weakest, under 
the care of Dr. Richard.son and Mr. Hood, to proceed 
at leisure. Four of Franklin’s companions, however, 
soon gave up the attempt from absolute physical in¬ 
capacity. One of them—Michel, an Iroquois—returned 
to Dr. Richardson, the others were never again 
heard of. Franklin pushed forward, living on berries 






46 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


and a lichen called trzpe-de~roche, and reached the 
hut; but it was without an inhabitant, without stores 
and blocked up by snow. Here he and his three com¬ 
panions lingered for seventeen days, with no other 
food than the bones and skin of the deer which had 
been killed the preceding winter, boiled down into a 
kind of soup. On October 29th Dr. Richardson and 
John Hepburn, one of the seamen, made their appear¬ 
ance. But where were the rest of the party ? 

Dr. Richardson had a tragic tale to unfold. He 


own use. On the 20th, while Hepburn was felling 
wood, he heard the report of a gun, and turning 
quickly round, saw Michel dart into the tent. Mr. 
Hood was found dead; a ball had penetrated the 
back of his skull; there could not be the shadow of 
a doubt that Michel had fired it. He now grew more 
suspicious and impatient of control than ever; and 
as he was stronger than any other of the party, and 
well armed, they arrived at the conviction that their 
safety depended upon his death. “ I determined,” said 
Dr. Richardson, “ as I was thoroughly con¬ 
vinced of the necessity of such a dreadful act, 
to take the whole responsibility upon myself; 
and immediately upon Michel’s coming up I 
put an end to his life by shooting him through 
the head.” 

They occupied six days in travelling twenty- 
four miles, existing on lichens and pieces of 
Mr. Hood’s skin cloak. 

On the evening of the 29th they came in 
sight of the fort, and at first felt inexpressi¬ 
ble pleasure on seeing the smoke issue from 
the chimney. But the absence of any foot¬ 
prints in the snow filled their hearts with 
sad forebodings, which were fully realized when 
they entered the hut and saw the wretchedness 
that reigned there. 

The exploring party was now reduced to 
four—Franklin, Richardson, Hepburn and an 
Indian; and that these could long survive 
seemed impossible, from their absolute weak¬ 
ness and lack of food. Happily, on the 7th of 
November three Indians arrived, whom Mr. 
Back had dispatched from Chipewyan with sup¬ 
plies; and they tended the sufferers carefully 
until all were strong enough to return to the 
English settlement. And in this way was ac¬ 
complished a journey of 5,500 miles; mostly 
over a bleak and barren country and under 
an inclement sky, with terrible cost of physi¬ 
cal and mental suffering, and with much loss of 
life, but with results which greatly enlarged the 
boundaries of geographical knowledge. 

Four expeditions—or, more correctly speaking, one 
expedition in four divisions—set out from England in 
1824. Parry was sent to explore Prince Regent 
Inlet; Franklin was ordered to descend the Macken¬ 
zie River to the sea, and then, dividing his party, to 
dispatch one half to the eastward, while he led the 
other half westward to Behring Strait; Captain 
Beechy was commissioned to sail to Behring Strait 
via Cape Horn, and thence to Kotzebue Sound, where 



SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 


Stated that for the first two days after Franklin’s de¬ 
parture his party had nothing to eat. On the third 
day Michel arrived with a hare and a partridge, which 
afforded each a small morsel. The fourth day they 
fasted. On the nth Michel offered them some flesh, 
which he declared to be part of a wolf; but they 
afterwards had good reason to suspect it was the 
flesh of one of the unfortunate men who had left 
Franklin to return to Richardson. They noticed that 
Michel daily grew more furtive and insolent, and 
were convinced that he had a supply of meat for his 







J 






IT CAN BE DONE, AND ENGLAND OUGHT TO DO IT”—SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 




















































































































































































































































































































































48 


GREAT ARCT/C 7RA FELLERS. 


he was to wait for Franklin ; and Captain Lyon was 
directed to keep southward of Southampton Island, 
up Rowe's Welcome to Repulse Bay, and across 
Melville Isthmus to Point Turnagain. The object 
in view, as the reader will surmise, was to ascertain 
the exact configuration of the northern shore of the 
American continent. 

Captain Lyon met with many disasters, and, when 
within eight miles of Repulse Bay, was compelled 
by the ice-drifts and the adverse winds to abandon 
the enterprise. 

Parry, with the Hec/a and Eury, reached Lancaster 
Sound, but, being caught in the ice, was forced to 
winter at Port Bowen. In the following season the 
Fury was driven ashore by the pressure of accumu¬ 
lated masses of ice, and so damaged that Parry 
was obliged to remove her crew and stores to the 
Hecla, after which he returned to England. 

Franklin was not much more successful. Accom¬ 
panied by Dr. Richardson, Back, and Messrs. Ken¬ 
dall and Drummond, he arrived at Fort Chipewyan 
in July, 1825, and thence proceeded to Great Bear 
Lake, where he wintered. When the spring returned 
he began the descent of Macheuzie River, and, after 


INTERIOR OF A TENT. 

a voyage of 1,045 miles, reached the sea in lat. 69“ 
14' N. and long. 135° 59' W. He then undertook the 
westward route, while Richardson travelled east¬ 
ward. In long. 149° 39' W., Franklin was arrested by 
a barrier of rock and ice, which he named Repulse 
Reef, and, being short of provisions turned back, ig¬ 
norant of the fact that Captain Beechy had brought 
his ship, the Blossom, up to Point Barrow, or only 


146 miles distant from him. Franklin, after surveying 
the coast for 374 miles, and accomplishing a voyage 
of upwards of 2,000 miles, returned to Great Bear 
Lake, where he was joined by Dr. Richardson. In 
the following year Beechy once more sailed for the 
appointed rendezvous; but Franklin, meanwhile, 
was on his way back to England. 

In 1827 the indefatigable Parry started with an ex¬ 
pedition for the north shore of Spitzbergen. It was 
characterized by his daring attempt to cross the pack- 
ice in light boats and sledges; the former being used 
in the water-ways and pools, the latter in travelling 
over the frozen plains. Nothing but the strongest 
enthusiasm could hav^e rendered this enterprise possi¬ 
ble. When the explorers arrived at a gap in the ice, 
they launched their boats and embarked. On reach¬ 
ing the opposite side they landed, and by sheer force 
hauled up the boats; a laborious process,occupying 
so much time and making such demandson the men’s 
strength that only eight miles were accomplished in 
five days. They could not travel except by night on 
account of the glare of the snow, which threatened 
them with blindness. Breakfasting soon after sun¬ 
set, they labored for some hours; then made their 
chief meal, and towards sunrise halted, 
lighted their pipes, wrapped themselves 
up in their furs and laid down to rest. 

The reader must not suppose that the 
ice-fields of the Polar regions are as 
smooth and level as the frozen surface of 
an English river. They are intersected 
by “ lanes” of water and broken up by 
rugged hummocks of ice which can be 
crossed only with extreme duficulty. In 
spile of every obstacle, Parry pressed on, 
ambitious to reach the 83d parallel of 
latitude. But at last he became aware of 
the start! mg circumstance that, faster than 
he mov'ed forward, the ice was carrying 
him backward ; in other words, it was 
slowly drifting southward beneath his feet, 
and bearing him and his party along with 
it. To struggle against an adverse Nature 
was hopeless. In lat. 82° 45' he gave it 
up; for though they had travelled nearly 300 miles 
over the rugged ice, and through half frozen water, 
they had advanced no more than 172 miles from the 
Hecla. 

Steam was first used as an agent of Arctic explora¬ 
tion in 1829, when Sir Felix Booth placed a steam¬ 
ship, the Victory, under the command of Sir John 
Ross and his nephew, Sir James. The Victory n\ad& 





JiOSS—PAJ^/^:V—AVCNAI^nSOy—FA^AA’A’L/JV. 


49 


her way into Prince Regent Inlet; found the wreck 
of the on the 12th of August, and on the 15th 
reached Parry’s furthest point. Thence she accom¬ 
plished 300 miles along a previously une.xplored 
coast, and on the 7th of October went into winter 
quarters in what is now called Felix Harbor. There 
Ross was held fast in the ice for eleven months. In 
.September, 1830, he once more got underway, but 
after sailing for about three miles, was again caught 
in the pack-ice and shut up until August, 1831. On 
this occasion the Victory accomplished four miles, 
and on the 27th of September was imprisoned for 


down that further progress was impossible. Here he 
wintered, the whole party undergoing the most fear¬ 
ful sufferings and several dying. With the first warm 
days of the summer of 1833 their hopes revived. 
They resumed their perilous adventure, and on the 
15th of August gained the open sea and took to their 
boats. At midnight they passed Edwin Bay and next 
morning reached the farthest point to which they had 
advanced in the preceding year. Finding an open 
“ water lane ” they kept to the northward, and in the 
evening were tossing off the north-eastern point of 
the American continent. On the 17th great was their 



WINTER QUARTERS—THE COMMON AURORA-ARC. 


another winter, having thus achieved exactly seven 
miles in two years. 

In April, 1832, James Ross made a sledge excur¬ 
sion to the westward and crowned himself with glory 
by reaching and fixing the magnetic North Pole in 
lat. 70° 5^ I7'< N. and lat. 96° 46 45^' W. 

The long imprisonment in the ice had by this time 
affected the health of the crew ; and as there was no 
chance of releasing the ship, Ross determined to 
abandon her, and effect his escape from the Polar soli¬ 
tudes in boats and sledges. 

He made first for the wreck of the Fury in order to 
avail himself of her stores and materials ; and after a 
terrible journey reached it, but so spent and broken 


joy to see before them the ample expanse of Barrow 
Strait; and with a favorable wind they now steered 
to the south, passing Cape York and Admiralty Inlet, 
and on the 25th reaching the eastern shore of Navy 
Board Inlet. 

At four o’clock on the following morning the look¬ 
out man announced that a ship was in sight; but as 
the breeze was blowing freshly, she bore away under 
all sail, leaving them behind. Fortunately a dead 
calm succeeded, and by dint of hard rowing our ex¬ 
plorers approached so near that their signals were 
descried, when the ship heaved to and lowered a 
boat, which made directly towards them. The mate 
in command asked them if they were in distress and 






































50 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


offered assistance, adding that he belonged to the 
Isabella of Hull, once commanded by Captain Ross 
but then by Captain Humphreys. He was with diffi¬ 
culty convinced that his former commander stood 
before him—declaring that it was all a mistake, for 
he had certainly been dead for two years. When 
finally satisfied, he hastened back to his ship with 
the glad tidings, and immediately her yards were 
manned, and three ringing cheers greeted the captain 
and his party. 

As soon as possible Captain Humphreys steered 
for England, and on the 12th of October reached 
Stromness in Orkney. The intelligence of the rescue 
so happily accomplished quickly spread thence 
throughout the kingdom, and Captain Ross and his 
companions were received as men who had risen from 
the grave. On his landing at Hull he was welcomed 
by enthusiastic crowds, like a general fresh from the 
field of victory. He fully deserved the reception thus 
accorded him. 

In the fewest possible words, we must record the 
discover)' of Great Fish River in 1833 by Lieutenant 
Back, and Dease and Simpson’s exploration of Vic¬ 
toria Land and Boothia in 1838. 

With somewhat more detail we must refer to 
Captain Back’s exploration of the coast of Boothia 
Felix. He left England in the Terror on June 14th, 
1836, and on the ist of August was struggling with 
the ice-floes off Resolution Island. On the 23rd he 
sighted Baffin’s Island, and began to work his way 
through a sea of ice to Southampton Island. Thence 
he proceeded towards Repulse Bay, where he intended 
to winter; but late in the month of September a vio¬ 
lent storm drove him back past Cape Comfort, where 
the Terror was fairly ice-bound, resting on the solid 
ice as on a cradle, and driven to and fro as the great 
frozen plain moved with the heaving currents and 
rushing winds. In this position Captain Back and 
his followers passed the winter, enduring severe hard¬ 
ships and constantly disquieted by violent gales. 

Towards the close of February the floe rent 
asunder, with a commotion which threatened to crush 
the ship into dust. Hither and thither drove the 
broken masses, hurtling against one another, grind¬ 
ing and crashing together with the most appalling 
sounds—now lifting he ship clean out of the water, 
now dashing against her sides with a force which 
made her reel from stem to stern. This series of dis¬ 
turbances extended into March. On the i6th they 
reached a crisis. A mad onset of floating ice raised 
the quivering vessel hard upon the floe. “ Scarcely 
ten minutes,” says Back, “ were left us for the expres¬ 


sion of our astonishment that anything of human 
build could outlive such assaults, when another 
equally violent rush succeeded, and in its way toward 
the starboard quarter threw up a rolling wave thirty 
feet high, crowned by a blue square mass of many tons, 
resembling the entire side of a house, which, after 
hanging for some time in doubtful poise on the ridge, 
at length fell with a crash into the hollow, in which, 
as in a cavern, the after part of the ship seemed im¬ 
bedded. It was indeed an awful crisis, rendered 
more frightful from the mistiness of the night and 
dimness of the moon.” 

During this long and gloomy period of disaster, 
the unfortunate Terror was driven to and fro over a 
range of twenty-six to forty-eight miles no'rth-west of 
Seahorse Point; but after the i6th she kept away 
from shore, and set towards the southeast. Another 
month passed by and still the ice held her in its grip. 
Then it parted for awhile, and Back seized the oppor¬ 
tunity to refit his shattered vessel. Once more it 
closed in, and so continued from the 7th of May until 
the 2d of June, when it finally broke up, but without 
any violent commotion. Then the ship’s hull was 
calked and coated with tar; and a channel having 
been cut through the open floe into the open sea, the 
Terror finally regained her liberty on the 13th of 
July, after four months detention. 

She was now near Charles Island ; that is, about 
midway between Cape Comfort and the mouth of 
Hudson Strait. What was to be done. A careful 
inspection of the ice-battered vessel soon answered 
this question. There was nothing for it but to turn 
her prow homeward ; and, indeed, no little doubt was 
felt whether she would ever gain in safety a British 
port. She was completely crazy, broken, leaky, rid¬ 
dled ; and not even her tossing to and fro and pro¬ 
longed battle with the grinding ice-masses had been 
a more perilous experience than her voyage across 
the Northern Atlantic proved. How she rolled with 
every sea ! How she bent before every gust of wind ! 
When she reached the northwest coast of Ireland 
she was actually sinking by the head, so that it was 
found necessary to run her ashore in Lough Swilly on 
the 3d of September. Had she been three hours 
longer at sea, she would assuredly have foundered. 

Captain Back’s voyage added nothing to our knowl¬ 
edge of the geography of the Polar World; but it 
furnishes a brilliant illustration of the resolution, 
courage and endurance of British seamen. It occu¬ 
pies a page in Arctic history which is comparatively 
little known ; yet it is a page of the highest interest. 

In the spring of 1845 Erebus, under Sir John 


ROSS—PA RR ] '—BA CK—RICHARDSOS—FRAN KLIN. 


51 


Franklin, accompanied by the Terror, under Captain 
Crozier—both ships being carefully fitted out and 
provisioned for three years—sailed from the Thames. 
The crews numbered 137 picked men. 

On the 8th of June they left the Orkneys, steering 
for the extreme point of Greenland, known as Cape 
Farewell; where, indeed, the adventurer does, as it 
were, bid farewell to the security and liberty of the 
civilized world. A month later they lay at anchor in 
the middle of a group of rocky inlets on the east side 


up, the westward route lies open, and the Arctic ex¬ 
pedition ploughs the waves for Lancaster Sound. 
Thereafter a cloud descends upon it; it passes into 
the heart of the grim solitudes of the Polar World, 
and men hear of it no more. Whether it bent its 
course, and how it reached Cape Riley and Beechy 
Islands, or what mishaps befell the two stout ships 
composing it, are problems the solution of which even 
now is far from complete. 

When two years had elapsed without any tidings 


THE “TERROR,” WITHOUT SHELTER FROM THE NORTH, BLOCKED UP WITH CLOSE-PACKED ICE. 



of Baffin’s Bay. Yet another fortnight and we see 
them with the “ mind’s eye.” as some of the whalers 
saw them, gallantly struggling with the ice which im¬ 
peded their progress across the Bay of Baffiin to Lan¬ 
caster Sound. Seven officers man a boat and drag 
her across the ice to visit the whalers. They go on 
board the Prince of Wixles,o{ Hull. “All well,” they 
report; and express the blithest, cheeriest confidence 
in the success of their enterprise. After a hearty 
handgrasp they say good-bye and return to their 
ships. On the same evening (July 26th) the ice breaks 


of the expedition reaching England, the public mind 
grew seriously alarmed. Expectation deepened into 
anxiety; anxiety darkened into fear When the win¬ 
ter of 1848 passed away, and still no tidings came, 
it was felt that further inaction would become in¬ 
tolerable. Hitherto the great object had been the 
discover)' of the northwest passage ; now the thoughts 
of men were all directed to a search after Frank¬ 
lin and his comjianions. Strangely enough. Providence 
had so ordered it that in the search after these 
“ martyrs of science ” the former object was attained. 































52 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


An expedition in search of the missing heroes was 
despatched under Sir James Ross, and another under 
Sir John Richardson; both added to the stores of 
geographical knowledge, but nothing more. These 
had worked from the eastward. Captains Moore and 
Kellet worked from the westward, entering Behring 
Strait and actually reaching, by their boats, the north 
of MacKenzie River. In the spring of 1849, ^^e 
British Government offered a reward cf ^20,000 to any 
private explorers, of any nation, who should discover 
and succor the wanderers; and Lady Franklin, out of 
her own resources, organized several relieving parties. 
So it happened that, in 1850, no fewer than twelve 
vessels, led by Ross, Rae, McClure, Osborne, Collin- 
son. Penny, Austin, Ommaney, Forsyth and De Haven, 
beside boat and sledge companies, plunged deep into 
the far northern wildernesses to trace the footprints of 
the lost. The Admiralty orders to Franklin had been 
to pass through Lancaster Sound into Barrow Strait; 
thence to Cape Walker, and from Cape Walker, by 
such course as he might find convenient, to Behring 
Strait. The general opinion was, that he had got to 
the west of Melville Island and then been caught by 
the ice among the numerous islands lying in that part 
of the Arctic Sea. And it was supposed he would 
be engaged in an effort to cross the ice and reach 
either one of the Hudson Bay settlements, or some 
whaling station. 

Dr. Rae therefore started for Banks Island, with 
the intention of pushing on to Cape Walker. Captains 
Collinson and McClure sailed for Behring Strait, in 
order to take up the eastward route. Captain Austin 
in the Resolute, Captain Ommaney in the Assistance, 
and Lieutenants Cater and Osborne in the Pioneer 
and Intrepid, proceeded to Baffin’s Bay, in order to 
follow up Franklin’s track; while other westward 
bound expeditions, such as the Felix under Captain 
Sir John Ross, Baptain Forsyth in the Prince Albert, 
Captain Penny in the Lady Franklin, siSLritd for vari¬ 
ous points of Banks Land and Boothia. An Am¬ 
erican expedition, fitted out by Mr. Henry Grinnell, 
a New York merchant, and consisting of the Advance 
and Rescue, under Lieutenant De Haven, sailed also 
for Banks Land and Melville Island in May, 1850, 

It was in this year that the first traces of the miss¬ 
ing voyagers were discovered, through the accidental 
detention at Beechy Island of two of the searching 
expeditions—namely, those of Austin and Penny. 

When these, in August, 1850, had reached the 
mouth of Wellington Channel, they were driven by 
the large ice-fields sweeping out of it and out of Bar- 
row Strait, to seek shelter in a great bay formed at 


the eastern entrance of the channel, and almost bi¬ 
sected by Beechy Island. On the 23d, a boat’s crew 
from Captain Ommaney’s ship, the Assistance, landed 
on one of the headlands of this bay, and, to their ab¬ 
solute surprise, discovered signs of a former visit from 
Europeans. Under the bold, dark cliffs of Cape Riley, 
might be seen the ground plan of a tent, scraps of 
rope and canvas, quantity of birds’ bones and feath¬ 
ers, besides a long-handled rake that had been used 
apparently in collecting the beautiful weeds of the 
ocean-bed. Nothing was found, however, to identify 
these relics with Franklin’s expedition. When Captain 
Penny heard of the “ find ” he determined, in con¬ 
junction with Lieutenant De Haven (of the Grinnell 
Expedition), to prosecute a careful search in the 
vicinity of Wellington Channel, While the exploring 
ships were lying under the west point of Beechy 
Island some of the men obtained permission to go 
ashore. On landing, they sauntered towards a low 
projecting spur, which stretches to the north, choosing 
a convenient spot to cross the huge ridges of ice 
lying piled up along the beach. They were seen to 
mount the ridge or backbone of the point; in a min¬ 
ute afterwards they w'ere observed from the ships to 
rush towards a dark object, and gather round it with 
every sign of excitement. It was immediately /elt 
that fresh traces had been discovered, and a rush of 
all hands took place to Beechy Island, There, on 
the point, stood a carefully constructed cairn of a 
pyramidical form. The base consisted of a series of 
preserved meat-tins filled with gravel and sand, and 
more meat tins were so arranged as to taper upwards 
to the summit, where was fixed the remnant of a 
broken boarding-pike. But no record could be found ; 
nothing to connect it with Sir John Franklin. 
Presently, as they looked along the northern slope of 
the island, other strange objects caught their eye. 
Another rush of eager, breathless beings, and all 
stand in silence before three graves. Some of them 
are unable to refrain from tears as they mutter the 
words inscribed upon the rude tablets, "Erebus," and 
“ Terrori' 

On the 27th of August, as if drawn by some mag¬ 
netic attraction, no fewer than ten searching-vessels 
met at Beechy Island, and several lay there during 
the winter with the view of resuming their work in 
the spring of 1851, but no additional discoveries were 
made. Sledging parties were sent out in all direc¬ 
tions, and along the shores of Wellington Channel, 
the coasts of Banks Land, and the waters from Bar- 
row Strait to Melville Island, 675 miles of new coast¬ 
line were surveyed. The outcome of all this labor 


ROSS—PARR Y—BA CK—RICI/A RDSON—FRANKLIN. 


53 


and adventure was represented by the generally ac¬ 
cepted conclusion that Franklin, after leaving Wel¬ 



lington Channel, had moved in a southwest direction. 

Special reference should be made, however, to the 
skillfully organized sledge expeditions of Captain 
Austin. These were designed to 
explore the coasts and islands 
along Parry Strait, the sea belt 
w’estward from Barrow Strait to 
Melville Island, and the north end 
of Banks Land ; Wellington chan¬ 
nel being reserved for Captain 
Penny. The westward party num¬ 
bering fourteen sledges and 104 
men, started under Captain Om- 
maney on the 14th April, 1857, to 
an encampment on Griffin Island, 
where they were carefully inspect¬ 
ed by Captain Austin. On the 
evening of the 15th they set out, 
with kites and sails attached to the 
the boats, and their men singing 
lustily while hauling at the drag 
ropes. 

Three of the parties proceeded 
along the southern, and three along 
the northern shore. The record of 
their achievements runs as follows: No. i, under 
Captain Ommaney, travelled 480 miles, of which 205 
were previously unknown, and was absent 60 days. 


No. 2, under Lieutenant (afterwards Admiral) Sherard 
Osborne, discovered 50 miles, travelled 506 miles, was 
absent 58 days. No. 3, under Lieutenant Browne, 
travelled 375 miles, discovered 150 miles of coast, and 
was absent 44 days. Three went to the southward. 
Of those which took a northerly course. No. i travelled 
550 miles, discovering 70 miles of coast, and was 
absent 62 days. No. 2, commanded by Lieutenant 
M’Clintock, travelled 760 miles, discovered 40 miles of 
coast, and was absent for 80 days. Lieutenant M’Clin¬ 
tock pushed as far westward as a point in lat. 74° 
38' N. and longitude 114° 2o< W. No. 3, under Sur¬ 
geon Bradford, travelled 669 miles, discovering 135 
miles of coast, and being absent 80 days. The achieve¬ 
ments of these parties show what may be expected 
from the sledge journeys to be undertaken in con¬ 
nection with the present Arctic expedition (1876). 

The other sledges were absent only for periods vary¬ 
ing from twelve to thirty-four days, their business 
being to form depots of provisions, ascertain positions, 
and take observations. But, though their work seems 
easier than that of the farther-reaching parties, they 
suffered much more severely, for no fewer than 
twenty-eight of their men were frost-bitten, and one 
of the leaders died from cold and fatigue. 

After receiving and considering the reports sent in 
by his officers. Captain Austin came to the conclusion 


that the expedition under Franklin had not proceeded 
either to the southward or westward of Wellington 
Strait. 







54 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


The sledge parties appointed to explore Wellington 
Channel were six in number and consisted of forty- 
one men, led by Captain Stewart, Messrs. Marshall, 
Reid, and J. Stewart, and Surgeons Sutherland and 
Goodsir, under the general superintendence of Cap¬ 
tain Penny. They started on the 27th of April, but 
soon met with stormy weather, and, after having been 
sore buffeted for several days, were forced to return. 
They rested a while and then, on the 6th of May, set 
forth again. Some made so bold a circuit as almost 
to touch the most northerly of Captain Austin’s par¬ 
ties ; but their principal feat was the discovery of a 
wide westward channel of open water extending along 
the further side of the lands which bound Barrow and 
Parry Straits. 

In this discovery Captain Penny was personally 
concerned, and he made vigorous efforts to follow it 
up. Following the coast line of Wellington Channel, 
he reached lat, 75“ 22' N. at Cape Duhorn, from 
which he struck ten miles northwestward to Point 
Decision. Thence, on the 15th of May, he crossed 
the ice, still in a northwesterly direction, to an 
island which he named Baillie Hamilton. On the 
17th, after completing the circuit of this island, he 
reached the open strait, saw in it twenty-five mites of 
clear water, and discovered a headland in the distance 
with a dark sky over it, indicating open water on the 
further side. This point was found to be in latitude 
76° 2> N. and longitude 95® 55' W., and the strait was 
designated Victoria Channel. 

Dr. Kane, the surgeon accompanying Lieutenant 
De Haven’s expedition, about this time fell in with 
what he conceived to be traces of heavily-laden 
sledges, and he formed the opinion that Franklin had 
gone north from Cape Riley as soon as the ice broke 
up in 1846, and from Wellington Channel had pushed 
right into the Polar Sea. Accordingly, in this direc¬ 
tion the Advance made her difficult way as far 
as possible. Dr. Kane displaying an almost reck¬ 
less courage, which gained him the sobriquet of “ the 
Mad Yankee.” No more relics, however, were then 
discovered, though afterguards a record found at Point 
Victory confirmed the accuracy of Kane’s conjecture. 


and showed that Franklin had attempted that course, 
though driven back by insuperable obstacles. 

Several expeditions followed one another in heroic 
efforts to wrest from the icy North the solemn secrets 
it so jealously preserved. But no further information 
was obtained of Franklin and his companions. 
Whether they had turned homeward and perished in 
Baffin’s Bay; whether, as Kane supposed, they had ad¬ 
vanced to the northwest by Wellington Channel; or 
whether (as was indeed the case) they were ice-bound 
in Melville Island, were problems, the solution of 
which seemed destined to remain an impossibility. 

The Wellington Channel route was again explored 
in April, 1852, by Sir Edward Belcher, who had five 
vessels under his command—the Assistance, Resolute, 
North Star, Pioneer and Intrepid. In the same year 
Lady Franklin despatched the Rattlesnake and Isabel 
to Behring Strait to assist Captain Collinson and 
McClure, while Dr. Rae undertook another survey of 
Boothia; and Captain Inglefield, with the Lady' 
Franklin and Phenix repaired to Barvow Strait in 
support of Sir Edward Belcher. But, as an American 
writer remarks, it is singular that not one of these 
expeditions, whether equipped by the government or 
by private generosity, was despatched to Melville 
Sound, the very spot where the lost seaman might be 
expected to be found, if he had carried out the instruc¬ 
tions he received from the Admiralty. “ It was not,” 
says Mr. Blake, “ until five years after the question 
of Franklin’s safety was mooted, that Dr. Rae pene¬ 
trated to Cape Walker, and beyond that there seemed 
a fatality brooding over all the explorers which 
tabooed the only true and proper course to the south 
and west of Melville Sound. Every place to which 
he was not sent was thoroughly ransacked ; whether 
he was sent, not a single ship or man wa? »ent. 

A melancholy incident must be recorded in connec¬ 
tion with Captain Inglefield’s expedition. It was 
accompanied by a gallant and enthusiaitic young 
Frenchman, Lieutenant Bellot, as a volunteer ex¬ 
plorer ; but, during a terrible gale of wind, he was 
blown from a piece of floating ice, and drowned 
(August i8th, 1853). 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


55 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE (1852). 



DR. ELISHA KENT KANE. 


A SECOND American expedition in search of Sir 
John Franklin was fitted out in 1852, and placed under 
the command of Dr. Elisha Kane, who had already 
served in 1950 under Lieutenant De Haven, and was 
well-fitted for the arduous and honorable post offered 
him, by his ability, resolution, power of endurance, 
and enthusiasm. Having accepted the conduct of 
the enterpri.se, he proceeded to enlist volunteers and 
to mature his plans. Believing that the peninsula of 
Greenland extended far to the northward, approaching 
the Pole in all probability nearer than any other 
known land, and that in this way he would obtain 
easier access both to the east and west, than from 
Wellington Channel, he resolved on an overland 


route in as direct a line north as it was possible to 
follow. In other words, he proposed to start from 
the most northerly attainable point of Baffin’s Bay, and 
thence, pressing on toward the Pole, as far as boats or 
sledges could carry him, to examine the coast lines 
for vestiges of the lost party. 

His little company consisted of eighteen officers 
and men, including Dr. Hayes, surgeon; August 
Sonntag, astronomer; and Henry Brooks, first 
officer. 

On May 30, 1852, they left New York in Mr. Grin- 
nell’s brig, the Advance ; in eighteen days reached St. 
John’s, Newfoundland, where they took on board a 
noble team of Newfoundland dogs, the gift of Gov¬ 
ernor Hamilton ; and thence proceeded to Baffin’s 
Bay. 

On the I St of July they entered the harbor of Fisk- 
ernaes, in Danish Greenland, a little colony of fisher¬ 
men-, who deal in cod, and crapefish, seal and shark- 
oils, and live a life of hardship and enterprise, in 
which the profits seem utterly incommensurate with 
the risks. Here Dr. Kane engaged an Esquimau hun¬ 
ter, one Hans Christian, notably expert both with 
kajack and javelin; fat, good-natured, and, except 
when stimulated by the excitement of the hunt, as 
stolid and impassive as a North American Indian, 
Thence they kept along the coast of Sukkertoppen, a 
great depot for reindeer-skins; and on the loth of 
July put to sea, steering to the north and west in the 
teeth of a heavy gale. 

Seventeen days later the expedition reached Mel¬ 
ville Bay, a basin which is celebrated both for the 
number of its icebergs and its whales, and has wit¬ 
nessed the loss of many a goodly vessel. Keeping to 
the westward. Dr. Kane resolved to double Melville 
Bay by keeping outside of the belt of broken land ice; 
but the voyage proved both difficult and dangerous. 
The floes gathered round his brig, he anchored her to 
an iceberg to prevent her from being completely 
imprisoned. But they had scarcely enjoyed a “breath¬ 
ing spell *’ before they were startled by a succession of 
loud, crackling sounds ; followed by a shower of ice- 
fragments, not larger than a walnut. They accepted 
the warning; hauled in their anchors; and put out 
into the open just as the face of the berg fell down in 
ruins, with a report like that of near artillery. 





56 


CHEAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


On the 1st of August they made fast to another 
large berg, “ a moving breakwater of gigantic propor¬ 
tions ; ” this carried them steadily to the north ; and 
when all danger from drifting ice was over, they got 
under way, and through a tolerably clear channel took 
their course to the northeast, while the heavens were 
lighted with the glory of the midnight sun, and the 
surrounding ice-fields glittered like one great resplen¬ 
dency of gem work—blazing carbuncles, and rubies, 
and molten gold. 

Keeping a mid-course through the bay, Dr, Kane 


the coast singularly uninviting. To the west the snow 
descended with heavy uniformity to the water’s edge, 
and was only here and there relieved by glimpses of 
the green-clad soil. On the right rose an array of 
cliffs, the frowning grandeur of which would have 
fitly dignified the threshold of “ the proudest of 
southern seas.” Their average height varied from 
1,200 to 1,500 feet, with some of their precipices ris¬ 
ing sheer and unbroken for 800 feet. 

On Littleton Island Dr. Kane determined to estab¬ 
lish his first depot of stores for use on the return voy- 



A STEAMER IN THE ICE OFF NEWFOUNDLAND AT PRESENT DAY. 


succeeded in reaching the North (or Cape York) 
Water on the 3d of August, and saw before him 
Smith Sound, which is now universally recognized as 
the great highway to the Arctic Pole. On the 5th he 
passed the “Crimson Cliffs” of Sir John Ross; so 
called from the mass of rose-red snow which lodges 
in their ravines and gorges. Hakluyt Island, with its 
tall spire of gneiss about 600 feet high, was the next 
station; and on the 6th he sighted Cape Alexander 
and Cape Isabella, the two promontories which guard 
the entrance to Smith Sound. He found the aspect of 


age. The life-boat was loaded with provisions, 
blankets, and other articles, and then buried. Along 
her gunwale were placed the heaviest rocks the men 
could handle ; and after the interstices had been filled 
up with smaller stones and sods of andromeda and 
moss, sand and water were poured among the layers. 
All this frozen at once into a solid mass, would be 
hard enough, it was hoped to resist the claws of the 
Polar bear. 

To the surprise of our explorers, they discovered 
that they were not the first human beings who had 
















THE SEARCH ’ FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


57 



sought a shelter in this 
desolate spot. It was 
evident from a few 
ruined walls here and 
there, that it had once 
been the seat of a rude 
settlement, and in the 
little knoll cleared 
away to cover in the 
deposit of stores were 
found some human re¬ 
mains. 

Nothing, says Dr. 

Kane, can be imagined 
more sad and home¬ 
less than these me¬ 
morials of extinct life. 

Hardly a vestige of 
growth was traceable 
on the bare and ice- 
scarred rocks, and the 
huts so closely resem¬ 
bled the broken frag¬ 
ments around that it 
was almost difficult to 
distinguish one from 
the other. Walrus-bones lay about in all directions, 
showing that walrus-meat had been the principal food 


FASTENED TO AN ICEBERG. 


of the inhabitants., 
There were remains, 
too, of fox and nor- 
whal, but no signs of 
seal or reindeer. 

The Esquimaux, un¬ 
able to restore their 
dead to the embrace 
of their mother earth, 
seat them as in the 
attitude of repose, with 
the knees drawn close 
to the body, and then 
enclose them in a sack 
of skins. The imple¬ 
ments used in life are 
grouped around, they 
are covered with a 
rude dome of stones, 
and a cairn is piled 
above. Thus a ceno¬ 
taph is formed which 
remains intact for gen¬ 
eration after genera¬ 
tion. The Esquimaux 
never profane the rest¬ 
ing place of the dead. Continuing his adventur¬ 
ous career. Dr. Kane pressed through the drifting 



THE SUN AT MIDNIGHT, 
















































58 


G/^EA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


ice to some distance beyond Cape Lifeboat Cove 
and took shelter in a beautiful little bay, land¬ 
locked from east to west, and accessible only 
from the north, which figures conspicuously in his 
narrative under the name of Refuge Harbor. It was 
some time before the ice broke up sufficiently to per¬ 
mit of his effecting his escape; and, even after he 
had once more got out into the channel, he had a 
daily fight with bergs and floes. At one time, while 
anchored off a rocky island, which he ^called “ God¬ 
send Ledge,” a perfect hurricane came on, and, 
though he had three hawsers out they snapped one 
after the other like mere threads, and the Advance 
drifted to and fro at the mercy of the “ wild ice.” 


His only hope of safety lay in mooring close to a berg, 
and, this effected, the brig was towed along as by a 
gigantic courser, ” the spray dashing over his wind¬ 
ward planks, and his forehead ploughing up the lesser 
ice as if in scorn.” Drifting masses, broken up and 
hurtled together by a tremendous storm, threatened 
them with destruction, and the explorers were thank¬ 
ful when, on the 22d,the gale abated, and they carried 
their little vessel into comparatively smooth water, 
sheltered by the ice-belt which lined the rocky and 
mountainous coast. 

Having secured a haven of safety for the Advance, 
Dr. Kane resolved to make a personal inspection of 
the coast, in order to select a convenient winter station, 
from which he might start on his sledge journeys in 


the following spring. For this purpose he. had caused 
his best and lightest whale-boat to be fitted with a 
canvas cover, that rendered it not less comfortable 
than a tent. A supply of pemmican was packed in 
small cases, and a sledge taken to pieces stowed 
away under the thwarts. The boat’s crew consisted 
of Brooks, Bonsall, Sonntag, Riley, Blake, and Morton. 
Each man had buffalo-robes for his sleeping gear, 
carried a girdle full of woollen socks to keep them 
dry by the warmth of the body, and slung a tin cup 
and a sheath-knife to his belt. A soup-pot and lamp 
for the mess, and a single extra day suit as common 
property, completed the outfit. 

Leaving Ohlsen in command of the Advance, Dr. 
Kane and his little company pushed off in 
the Forlorn Hope, as she was christened; 
and, after a cruise of about twenty-four 
hours, reached the ice belt, where they 
hauled her up, and stowed her away snugly, 
under the shelter of a large hummock, after 
which they pushed forward in the sledge. 

Their journey across the rugged surface 
of the ice was by no means without let or 
hindrance. It is easy to glide over the frozen 
level which encrusts one of our British lakes 
or streams in a severe winter, but the icy 
wastes of the Arctic region are broken up by 
gullies, water-ways, and hummocks, render¬ 
ing the traveller’s passage one of consider¬ 
able difficulty. In five days Dr. Kane ad¬ 
vanced only forty miles, and, finding the 
obstacles almost insurmountable, he aban¬ 
doned the sledge, and the whole party pro¬ 
ceeded on foot. With the exception of their 
instruments, they carried no burden but their 
pemmican and one buffalo robe. The 
weather, as yet not far below freezing point, 
did not make a tent essential to the bivouac, and, 
being so lightly equipped, they were able to make 
twenty to twenty-four miles a day. 

On the 5th, they came upon a noble bay, perfectly 
open, and in strange contrast, therefore, to the ice 
outside. The cause of this, at the time, inexplicable 
phenomenon was afterwards found to be a roaring, 
tempestuous river, which, issuing from a fiord at the 
inner extremity of the bay, thundered irresistibly over 
a rugged bed of rocks. This river, which appears to 
be the largest as yet known in North Greenland, was 
about three-quarters of a mile wide at its mouth, and 
sensible to the tidal influence for about three miles. 
Its course was afterw-ards traced to an interior glacier, 
from the base of which it welled in many streams that 



THE PARTING HAWi5ER.S. 



THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


59 


flowed into a single channel about forty miles above 
its mouth. 

Here in the heart of the dreary snowscape, the 
travellers met with an Arctic flower-growth of con¬ 
siderable variety of form and color. The infiltration 
of the melted snows fed its roots, 
and the reverberation of the 
sun’s heat from the rocks foster¬ 
ed its delicate life. Amid festuca 
and other tufted grasses, bright¬ 
ened the purple lychnis and 
sparkled the white stem of the 
chickweed, together with a 
graceful hesperis, reminding the 
wanderers of the fragrant wall¬ 
flower of our old English gar¬ 
dens. 

After fording the river. Dr. 

Kane called a halt in lat. 78° 52' 
and long. 78° 41' W. The next 
morning, leaving four of his 
party to recruit themselves, he 
struck across the northeastern 
headland, which he named after 
the great English novelist. Cape 
William Makepeace Thackeray. 

It was the last station on the 
coast of Greenland determined 
by theodolite observations. 

About eight miles beyond pro¬ 
jected a lofty headland, which 
Kane named Cape Francis 
Hawke. 

The prospect which Dr. Kane 
beheld from the high ground in 
this vicinity was most impres¬ 
sive. It extended beyond the 
80th parallel of north latitude. 

Far off on the left lay the west¬ 
ern shore of the Sound, receding 
towards the dim, misty north. 

To the right a rolling country 
led on to a low, dusky, wall-like 
ridge, which he afterwards rec¬ 
ognized as the great Glazier of 
Humbolt; and still beyond this, 
reaching northward from the 
north-northeast, lay the land 
which now bears the honored name of Washington— 
its most projecting headland. Cape Andrew Jackson, 
bearing about fourteen degrees from the farthest hill 
on the opposite side. Cape John Barrow. All between 


was one vast sheet of ice. Close along its shore, 
almost looking down upon it from the crest of their 
lofty station, the explorers could see the long lines of 
hummocks dividing the floes like the trenches of a 
beleaguered city. Farther out, a stream of icebergs. 


increasing in numbers towards the north, presented 
an almost impenetrable barrier ; but beyond these the 
ice seemed less obstructed and obstructive, and patches 
of open water glimmered on the distant horizon. 












6o 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


Dr. Kane now led his party back to the brig, 
resolved to winter in the secure bay he had found for 
her, and to occupy the dreary months in expeditions to 
different points, so as to obtain a complete knowledge 
of the neighboring coast. When the ice broke up in 
the ensuing summer, he trusted to resume his onward 
course. 

Winter was approaching rapidly. By the loth of 
September the thermometer had fallen to 14°, and the 
ice-floes had been welded by newly formed ice into a 
compact mass with an unbroken surface. About 
sixty paces north of the ship an iceberg had been 



CHRISTIAN OHLSEN. 


caught in the toils, was frozen in, and remained the 
gigantic neighbor of the adventurers as long as they 
remained in Rensselaer Harbor, “ The rocky islets 
around were fringed with hummocks; and as the tide 
fell, their sides were coated with opaque crystals of 
bright white. The birds had gone ; the sea-swallows 
—which abounded when we first reached here—and 
even the young burgomasters (gulls) that lingered 
after them, had all taken their departure for the south. 
Except the snow-birds, these are the last to migrate 
of all the Arctic birds.” 

The chief portion of the ship’s cargo was now 
unloaded, and deposited in the store-house on Butler 
Island. Vigorous efforts were made to increase the 


supplies of provisions. Steaks of salt-junk, artistic¬ 
ally cut, were strung on lines, “ like a countrywoman’s 
dried apples,” and soaked in festoons under the ice. 
The salmon-trout and codfish, purchased at Fisker- 
naes, were placed in barrels, perforated to permit a 
constant circulation of water through them. The 
“ pickled cabbage ” was similarly treated, after a little 
potash had been used to neutralize the acid. All 
these articles were submitted to twelve hours of alter¬ 
nate soaking and freezing, the ice-crust being removed 
from them previous to each immersion. 

A dog-house was also erected on Butler Island ; 
but in reference to it Dr. Kane records a remarkable 
illustration of the canine character. The Esquimaux 
dogs could not be persuaded to sleep away from the 
vessel. They preferred the bare snow, where they 
could lie within the sound of human voices, to a warm 
kennel upon the rocks. Strange, he says, that this 
dog-distinguishing trait of affection for man should 
show itself in an animal so imperfectly reclaimed from 
a savage state that he can hardly be caught when 
wanted. 

Dr. Kane’s dogs were both Esquimaux and New¬ 
foundlanders. Of the last he had ten, which he was 
carefully training in a light sledge to drive (unlike the 
Esquimaux) two abreast, with a regular harness, a 
breast-collar of flat leather, and a pair of traces. Six 
of them made a powerful travelling team; and four 
could carry Dr. Kane and his instruments, for short 
journeys around the brig with considerable facility. 

The sledge was built of American hickory, 
thoroughly seasoned, and skillfully combined the three 
paramount considerations of lightness, strength, and 
diminished friction. It was named the “Little Willie.” 
Another and stronger sledge, made after a model fur¬ 
nished by the British Admiralty, was called the 
“Faith.” It measured thirteen feet in length and 
four in breadth and could carry fourteen hundred¬ 
weight of mixed stores. 

An observatory was also erected. The islet on 
which it stood measured some fifty paces long by 
forty broad, and rose about thirty feet above the 
water-line. Here the adventurers raised four walls of 
granite blocks, cementing them together with moss 
and water, and the never-failing assistance of frost 
which converted the most heterogeneous materials 
into a compact mass. On the whole was laid a sub¬ 
stantial timber roof. The pedestals for the support of 
the various instruments in use consisted of a conglom¬ 
erate of ice and gravel, well rammed down, while 
liquid in iron-hooped pemmican casks and quickly 
hardened into solidity. Adjoining was a magnetic 




t/.'t 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 




observatory, with wooden floor as well as wooden 
roof; and upon the open ice-field, about 140 yards 
from the ship, a meteorological observatory with 
thermometers, lanterns, and other appliances. 

The perils to which Dr. Kane and his party were 


RENSSELAER HARBOR. 


exposed may be estimated from the following incident 
which we shall allow him to describe in his own 
words. 

“ We have narrowly escaped,” he says, “ being 
burned out of house and home. I have given orders 
that the fires, lit under my own eye, should be regu¬ 
larly inspected; but through a misadventure the 
watch had for a time pretermitted opening the 
hatches. As I lowered a lantern, 
which was extinguished immediately, 
a suspicious odor reached me, as of 
burning wood. I descended at once. 

Reaching the deck of the forecastle, 
my first glance towards the fires 
showed me that all was safe there; 
and, though the quantity of smoke still 
surprised me, I was disposed to at¬ 
tribute it to the recent kindling. But 
at this moment, while passing the 
door of the bulkhead, which leads 
to the carpenter’s room, the gas 
began to affect me. My lantern went out as if 
quenched by water; and as I ran by the bulkhead 
door, I saw the deck near it a mass of glowing 
fire for some three feet in diameter, I could not tell 


how much farther it extended, for I became quite in¬ 
sensible at the foot of the ladder, and would have 
sunk had not Mr, Brooks seen my condition and 
hauled me out. 

“ When I came to myself, which happily was very 
soon, I confided my fearful secret to the 
four men around me—Brooks, Ohlsen, Blake, 
and Stephenson. It was all-important to 
avoid confusion. We shut the doors of the 
galley, so as to confine the rest of the crew 
and officers aft, and then passed up water 
from the fire-hole alongside. It was done 
very noiselessly. Ohlsen and myself went 
down to the burning deck; Brooks handed 
us in the buckets, and in less than ten 
minutes we were in safety. It was interest¬ 
ing to observe the effect of steam upon 
the noxious gas. Both Ohlsen and myself 
were greatly oppressed until the first 
bucket was poured on; but as I did this, 
directly over the burning coal, raising clouds 
of steam, we at once experienced relief, the 
fine aqueous particles seemed to absorb the 
carbonic acid instantly. 

“ We found the fire had originated in the 
remains of a barrel of charcoal, which had 
been left in the carpenter’s room, ten feet 
from the stores, and with a bulkhead separat¬ 
ing it from them. How it had been ignited, it 
was impossible to know. Our safety was due to 
the dense charge of carbonic acid gas which sur¬ 
rounded the fire, and the exclusion of atmospheric 
air. When the hatches were opened, the flames burst 
out with energy.” 

Gradually the severities of an Arctic winter made 


THE “ FAITH, NOW AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY-YARD. 


themselves more and more keenly felt; and those ex¬ 
posed to the weather, notwithstanding every precau¬ 
tion, with difficulty escaped very painful touches of 
frost-bite. Of a party who had travelled some sixty 







62 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


miles to establish a cache, or depot of provisions 
north of Cape Bancroft, not a man but was more or 
less affected. This is not to be wondered at, when we 
reflect that the temperature had sunk to 25 degrees 
UELOW zero. The darkness advanced with insidious 
steadiness; and early in November we read that stars 
of the si.xth magnitude were visible at noonday. The 
black masses of the hills, with their glaring patches of 
snow were plain for about five hours of the day ; all 
the rest was gloom. E.xcept upon the island of Spitz- 
bergen, which has the advantage of an insular climate, 
tempered by ocean currents, no Christian men had 
wintered in so high a latitude ; and they who there con- 

4 


PASSING FROM DAY TO NIGHT. 

front the terrors of the north are Russian seamen, in¬ 
ured from earliest years to cold and hardship. 

On the 7th of November, we found Dr. Kane calcu¬ 
lating that “ our darkness has ninety days to run be¬ 
fore we shall get back even to the contested twilight 
of to-day. Altogether our winter will have been sun¬ 
less for one hundred and forty days.” 

With various devices these prisoners in the Arctic 
solitudes endeav'ored to beguile their monotony. They 
got up a fancy ball; and published an Arctic news¬ 
paper, The Ice Blink, with the appropriate motto, " Li 
tenebris sevare fidem." It is true, the circulation was 
somewhat limited; but the articles were not unworthy of 
a wider public. A fo.x-chase, something like the boyish 
sport of " Hare and Hounds,” was occasionally got 
up, and other measures were adopted to combat a de¬ 


pression which is the natural but dangerous result of 
extreme cold. Frequent excursions were also made, 
though they did but reveal the completeness of the 
desolation which surrounded Dr. Kane’s winter camp. 

Some idea of the rigor of the climate in the month 
of February (1854) may be gathered from the follow¬ 
ing data. The thermometer ranged from 60“ to 76*^ 
below zero—that is 92° to 107° below freezing point. 
At such temperature chloric ether became solid and 
chloroform exhibited a kind of granular skin or pelli- 
cule upon its surface. Spirits of naphtha froze at 54°, 
and oil of sassafras at 49°. The exposed portions of 
the human body were surrounded with a wreath of 
vapor by the quick condensa¬ 
tion of its exhalations. The 
air when inspired, was per¬ 
ceptibly pungent, and imparted 
a sensation of dryness to the 
air-passages. It was notice¬ 
able that every man involun¬ 
tarily breathed in, as it were, a 
guarded manner, with com¬ 
pressed lips. 

The first traces of returning 
light were observed at noon on 
the 2ist of January, when a 
tint of orange lighted up, very 
briefly, the southern horizon. 
Necessarily the influence of the 
long and intense darkness was 
very depressing, and was felt 
even by the lower animals, 
many of the dogs dying from 
“ a mental disease,” clearly due 
to the absence of light. The 
symptoms of this disease were 
very peculiar, and deserve to be indicated. The 
more material functions of the poor creatures 
went on, it would appear, without interruption, 
— they ate voraciously, retained their strength 
and slept soundly. But, otherwise, they acted as 
if suffering from lunacy. They barked frenziedly 
at nothing, and walked in straight and curved lines 
with anxious and unwearied perseverance. They 
fawned on their masters, but without seeming con¬ 
scious of the caresses being lavished upon them in re¬ 
turn. Their most intelligent actions seem automatic; 
.sometimes they clawed you as if seeking to burrow 
into your sealskins, sometimes they remained for hours 
in moody silence, and then started off howling as if pur¬ 
sued, and ran up and down for hours. 

On the 21 St of February, Dr. Kane started forth on 




THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


63 




an expedition to welcome back the sun. He forgot 
his past experiences and present sufferings when once 
more he beheld the glorious orb of day, and nestled in 


GATHERING MOSS. 

its glow with a sensation of delight like that of bathing 
in perfumed water. Wonderful influence of the sun. 
It seemed to inspire our explorers with new life, fresh 
strength, fresh hope, body and mind were quickened 
and recruited by the invigorating rays; and by de¬ 
grees the adventurers began to think of 
resuming the work of exploration. 

A day in March was spent after the 
following routine—and the description 
is generally applicable to the various 
aspects of the winter life on board the 
ice-bound ships. 

At half-past seven all hands rose, 
washed on deck, opened the doors for 
ventilation, and then went below for 
breakfast. As fuel was scarce, the cook¬ 
ing was done in the cabin. Breakfast 
— for all fared alike — was hard-tack, 
pork, stewed apples, frozen like mo¬ 
lasses candy, tea and coffee, with a deli¬ 
cate portion of raw potatoes. 

Afterwards, those who smoked in¬ 
dulged in their pipes until nine; then 
all hands turned to—idlers to idle, work¬ 
ers to work; one to his carpenter’s bench, 
another to his “ preparations ” in canvas; one to play 
tailor, another to make shoes ; one to skin birds, one 
to tinker and the rest to the “ Office.” 

Let us take a peep at the “Arctic Bureau.” One 


table, one salt pork lamp, with rusty chlorinated flame; 
three stools, and as many waxen-faced men with their 
legs drawn up under them, the deck at zero being too 
cold for the feet. Each has his depart¬ 
ment. Kane is writing, sketching and 
projecting maps; Hayes copying logs 
and meteorologicals; Sonntag reducing 
his work at the observatory. The 
fourth as one of the working members of 
the hire, has long been defunct—you 
will find him in bed, or studying “ Little’s 
Living Age.” 

At twelve took place a business round 
of inspection and orders were issued 
sufficient to fill up the day with work. 
Next came the drill of the Esquimaux 
dogs—a dog tret especially refreshing 
to their driver whose legs creaked with 
every kick and whose rheumatic shoul¬ 
ders chronicled every descent of the whip. 
And in this way the captives went 
on until dinner time ; when their fare was 
much the same as at breakfast, with the 
exception of pickled cabbage and dried peaches be¬ 
ing substituted for tea and coffee. 

At dinner as at breakfast, raw potatoes were intro¬ 
duced as a hygienic luxury. Yet like most medicine, 
it was not as appetizing as it was wholesome. Even 


SHOOTING SEAL. 

when gp-ated nicely, with the ugly red spots omitted 
and oil freely added as a lubricant, the partakers were 
fain to shut their eyes and " bolt ” it, like Mrs. Squeer’s 
molasses and brimstone at Dotheboys Hall. 












64 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


Sleep, exercise, amusement, and work at will, car¬ 
ried on the day till six o’clock supper; a meal some¬ 
thing like breakfast and something like dinner, only 
more sparing; and then the officers submitted to Dr. 
Kane the day’s reports. 

These dismissed, a game at chess or cards was in¬ 
dulged in, or light reading for those who preferred it. 
Then the watch was set and “ silence reigned around.” 

A peculiar feature of the Arctic Region is the so- 
called “ ice foot ” (Danish eis-fod), a zone of ice which 
stretches along the shore from the Arctic Circle, far 
away into the uttermost north. To the south it 
breaks up under the genial influence of summer, and 
even as high as Upernavik, or Cape Alexander, it dis¬ 
appears ; but in higher latitudes it is a perennial 
growth, clinging to the bold faces of the cliffs, and 
following the curves of the bays and the indentations 
of the rivers. 

Though it changes with the seasons, it never wholly 
passes away—that is to the north of Cape Alex¬ 
ander it forms a broad and secure platform, a level 
highway of travel, elevated above the grinding ice of 
the sea, and adapting itself like a shroud to all the 
sinuosities of the land. It will be convenient to speak 
of it as the “ ice-belt.” 

Though subject to occasional disruptions by thaws 
and evaporation it measures the severity of the year 
by its rate of increase. Rising with the first inclem¬ 
encies of the fading summer, it enriches with curious 
and fantastic frost-work the undulating sea-line; a 
little later, and it is moulded into bolder shapes by 
collision with the drifting floes and rocks falling from 
the cliffs which bound it. Before the advent of the 
rigid winter, it is already solidified into an impenetra¬ 
ble rampart; and so it continues to gain in size and 
strength with the successive freezing of the tides until 
summer returns, and its progress is arrested by the 
melted snows and rushing water torrents. 

During Dr. Kane’s first winter at Rensselaer Har¬ 
bor, the ice belt grew to three times the size it had 
presented on his arrival; and by the middle of March 
the islands and adjacent shores were blocked up by a 
continuous icy terrace, nearly 27 feet high and 120 
feet wide. 

In midwinter, however, the ice-foot is not an un¬ 
broken level. Like the floes, it has its barricades ; 
serried and irregular, which can be traversed only 
with toil and difficulty . 

On the 30th of March another party was sent out 
to establish a depot of provisions, and Kane and the 
rest of his followers waited only for their return to be¬ 
gin the transit of the bay. Late at night on the 31st, 


they were working cheerfully by the glare of their 
lamps, when a sudden noise of steps was heard above 
and immediately afterwards, Sonntag, Ohlsen, and Pe¬ 
terson came down into the cabin. If there was some¬ 
thing startling in their unexpected arrival, much more 
startling was their appearance. They were swollen, 
haggard and scarcely able to speak. 

Where were their companions ? Behind in the ice 
—Brooks, Baker, Wilson and Pierce—all frozen and 
disabled; and they themselves had risked their lives 
to carry the pitiful news. Where were their com¬ 
rades lying } With cold white lips they muttered that 
they could not tell; somewhere in among the hum¬ 
mocks to the north and east; the snow was drifting 
round them when they parted. “Irish Tom’’had 
gallantly remained to feed and care for them; but of 
their recovery there was little hope. It was useless 
to put additional questions; they were too exhausted 
to be able to rally their ideas. 

Not a moment was to be lost. While some attended 
to the feeble wayfarers, and made ready a hasty meal, 
others rigged out the “ Little Willie,” with its tent¬ 
like cover and placed in it a supply of pemmican. 
Then Ohlsen, as the least exhausted was strapped 
on the sledge, encased in a fur bag, with his legs 
wrapped in dog skins and eider down and away 
went the rescue party. It consisted of nine men and 
Dr. Kane. The thermometer, when they set out, 
stood at 41®, or 78° below freezing point. 

A tower of ice, called by the men “ Pinnacly Berg,” 
served as their first landmark ; other colossal ice¬ 
bergs, extending in long, beaded lines across the bay, 
helped to guide them for some distance; and it was 
not until they had travelled for sixteen hours that they 
began to lose their way. 

That their lost comrades were somewhere in the 
gloomy area before them, and within a radius of forty 
miles they knew; but this was to know little. And 
Mr Ohlsen, who now awoke from a prolonged slum¬ 
ber, with unequivocal signs of mental disturbance, 
seemed to have lost the bearing of the bergs, which, 
indeed, in form and color, continually repeated them¬ 
selves. “ Passing ahead of the party,” says Kane; 
(and there is a simple pathos in his simple, unadorned 
narrative), “and clambering over some rugged ice-piles 
I came to a long, level floe, which I thought might 
probably have attracted the eyes of weary men in cir¬ 
cumstances like our own. It was a light conjecture, but 
it was enough to turn the scale for there was no other 
to balance it. I gave orders to abandon the sledge, and 
disperse in search of footmarks. We raised our tent, 
placed our pemmican in cache, except a small allow- 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


65 


ance for each man to carry on his person ; and poor 
Ohlsen now just able to keep his legs, was liberated 
from his bag. The thermometer had fallen by this time 
to 49.3®, and the wind was setting in sharply from 
the northwest. It was out of the question to halt; 
it required brisk exercise to keep us from freezing. I 
could not even melt ice for water; and at 
these temperatures any resort to snow for 
the purpose of allaying thirst was followed 
by bloody lips and tongue; it burned like 
caustic. 

It was indispensable, then, that we should 
move on, looking out for traces as we went. 

Yet when the men were ordered to spread 
themselves, so as to multiply the chances, 
though they all obeyed heartily some pain¬ 
ful impress of solitary danger, or perhaps 
it may have been the varying configuration 
of the ice-field, kept them closing up con¬ 
tinually into a single group. The strange 
manner in which some of us were affected 
I now attribute as much to shattered nerves 
as to the direct influence of the cold. Men 
like M’Gary and Bonsall, who had stood out 
our severest marches, were seized with 
trembling fits and short breath; and, in 
spite of all my efforts to keep up an ex¬ 
ample of sound hearing, I fainted twice on 
the snow. 

“ We had been nearly eighteen hours out 
without water or food, when a new hope cheered us, I 
think it was Hans, our Esquimau hunter, who thought 
he saw a broad sledge track. The drift had nearly effaced 
it, and we were some of us doubtful at first whether 
it was not one of those accidental rifts which the gales 
make in the surface snow. But as we traced it on to 
the deep snow among the hummocks, we were led to 
footsteps; and, following these with religious care, 
we at last came in sight of a small American flag flut¬ 
tering from a hummock, and lower down a little ma¬ 
sonic banner hanging from a tent pole hardly above 
the drift. It was the camp of our disabled comrades. 
We reached it after an unbroken march of twenty-one 
hours.” 

They found the little tent almost buried in the snow. 
When Dr. Kane came up, his companions, who had 
outstripped him, were standing in silent file on each 
side of it. With a delicacy of feeling which is almost 
characteristic of sailors, and seems instinctive to them, 
they expressed a desire that he should enter alone. 
As he crawled beneath the tent-curtains, and, coming 
up>on the darkness, heard before him the burst of wel¬ 


come gladness that came from the poor prostrate 
creatures within, and then for the first time, the cheer 
without, his weakness and gratitude almost overcame 
him. “ They had expected him,” was their exclama¬ 
tion ; “ they were sure he would come ! ” 

There were now fifteen souls in all; the thermome¬ 


ter was 75” below freezing; the sole accommodation 
a tent barely able to contain eight persons; conse¬ 
quently, more than half of the party were compelled 
to keep from freezing by walking outside while the 
others slept. The halt, however, was not prolonged. 
Each refreshed himself by a two hours sleep, and 
then the homeward march began. 

They carried with them nothing but the tent, furs 
to protect the rescued party, and food sufficient for 
a journey of fifty hours. Everything else was aban¬ 
doned. Two large Buffalo bags, each made of four 
skins, were doubled up, so as to form a kind of sack 
lined on each side by fur, closed at the bottom but 
opened at the top. This impromptu sack was laid 
on the sledge of which the tent, smoothly folded, 
served as the floor. The sick, with their limbs 
sewed up carefully in reindeer skins, were placed upon 
the bed of buffalo robes, in a half recumbent position ; 
due warmth was maintained by a plentiful supply of 
skins and blanket-bags; and the whole was so lashed 
together as to leave only a single opening opposite the 
mouth for breathing. 



PINNACLY BERG. 









66 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


These preparations completed, a short prayer was 
uttered and the brave little company started on their 
return. The difficulties they met with, however, were 
such as severely tested their courage and endurance. 
A great part of their track lay among a succession of 
hummocks, some of them extending in long lines, 
fifteen or twenty feet in height, and all so steep, that 
to ascend them was impossible. The sledge had to 
pursue a winding course in and out of these serious 
obstacles, frequently driving through gaps filled with 
recently fallen snow, which hid the fissures and open¬ 
ings in the ice beneath. These, says Kane, were fear¬ 
ful traps to disengage a limb from, for every man was 
painfully aware that a fracture or even a sprain might 
cost him his life. In addition the sledge was top- 
heavy with its load, which weighed not less than i,ioo 
pounds; while the maimed men could not bear to be 
lashed down tight enough to secure them against 
falling off. 

Yet, for six hours, the progress of this undaunted 
band was cheering. They advanced nearly a mile 
an hour, and reached the new floes before they were 
absolutely weary. “ Our sledge,” says Kane, ” sus¬ 
tained the trial admirably. Ohlsen, restored by hope, 
walked steadily at the leading belt of the sledge¬ 
lines; and I began to feel certain of reaching our 
half-way station of the day before, where we had 
left our tent. But we were still nine miles from it, 
when almost without premonition, we all became 
aware of an alarming failure of our energies. 

Bonsall and Morton, two of the most robust of 
Kane’s party besought permission to sleep. They de¬ 
clared that they did not feel cold, and that all they 
wanted was a little repose. Presently Hans was found 
frozen almost into rigidity under a drift; and Thomas, 
standing erect, had his eyes closed, and could scarcely 
articulate. Soon afterwards, John Blake threw him¬ 
self on the snow and refused to rise. They made no 
complaint of feeling cold; but it was in vain. Dr. 
Kane “wrestled, boxed, ran, argued, jeered, or repri¬ 
manded ; ” he found that an immediate halt was una¬ 
voidable. Again we quote from his own narrative on 
the simplicity of which it is not possible to improve: 

“ We pitched our tent with much difficulty. Our 
hands were too powerless to strike a fire; we were 
obliged to do without water or food. Even the whisky 
had frozen at the men’s feet, under all the coverings. 
We put Bonsall, Ohlsen, Thomas, and Hans, with the 
other sick men, well inside the tent, and crowded in 
as many others as we could. Then, leaving the party 
in charge of Mr, M’Gary, with orders to come on after 
four hours’ rest, I pushed ahead with William God¬ 


frey, who volunteered to be my companion. My aim 
was to reach the half-way tent, and thaw some ice and 
pemmican before the others came up. 

The floe was of level ice ; the walking excellent. I 
cannot tell how long it took us to make the nine miles, 
for we were in a strange sort of stupor, and had little 
apprehension of time. It was probably about four 
hours. We kept ourselves awake by imposing on each 
other a continued articulation of words, though such 
utterances must necessarily have been incoherent. 
Godfrey and I afterwards retained only a very confused 
recollection of what preceded our arrival at the tent. 
We both, however, remember a bear walking leisurely 
before us and tearing up as he went, a jumper that 
Mr. M’Gary had improvidently thrown off the day be¬ 
fore. He tore it into shreds, and rolled it into a ball, 
but made no attempt to interfere with our progress. 

Godfrey, who had a better eye than myself, looking 
some miles ahead, could see that our tent was under¬ 
going the same unceremonious treatment. I thought I 
saw it too, but we were so drunken with cold that 
we strode on steadily; and, for aught I know, without 
quickening our pace.” 

Probably their approach proved the safety of the 
contents of the tent; for on their arrival they found it 
uninjured, though the bear had overturned it, and 
tossed pemmican and buffalo robes into the snow, 
only a couple of blanket-bags were missing. With 
great difficulty they raised it, crawled into their rein¬ 
deer sleeping bags without a word and for three hours 
enjoyed a dreamy but intense slumber. When Dr, 
Kane awoke his long beard was a mass of ice, fro¬ 
zen fast to the buffalo skin, and Godfrey had liter¬ 
ally to cut him out with his jack-knife. 

Water was melted and some soup cooked before 
the party arrived; they accomplished the nine miles 
in five hours, were doing well, and, considering the 
circumstances, in excellent spirits. The day was calm 
and the sun clear, so that the journey was less 
onerous than it might have been. The new comers 
enjoyed the refreshment that had been got ready 
for them; the crippled were repacked in their 
robes, and the whole party sped briskly toward the 
ranges of ice-hummocks that lay between them and 
the Pinnacly Berg. 

These hummocks came properly under the desig¬ 
nation of squeezed ice. A great chain of bergs 
stretching from northwest to southwest, moving 
with the tides, had compressed the surface-floes, and 
reared them upon their edges in a singularly fantastic 
manner. 

Desperate efforts were required on the part of our 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


67 


worn and weary travellers to carry them across the 
rugged area; desperate indeed, for their partially 
resuscitated strength failed them anew, and their self- 
control began to desert them. They could no longer 
refrain from eating snow ; and as a consequence, their 
mouths swelled and some of them became speech¬ 
less. They must have perished had not the day been 
warmed by a clear sunshine, so that the thermometer 
rose in the shade to within four degrees of zero. 

As they grew weaker and weaker their halts ne¬ 
cessarily became more frequent; and they would fall 
into a semi-somnolent condition, on the snow. Strange 
to say, these brief intervals of slumber proved refresh¬ 
ing, so that Dr, Kane was induced to try the experi¬ 
ment in his own person, taking care that Riley should 
arouse him at the end of three minutes. Afterwards 
he timed the men in the same way. They sat upon 
the runners of the sledge, and fell asleep immediately, 
but were startled into wakefulness the moment their 
three minutes had elapsed. 

At eight o’clock in the evening the wayfarers were 
clear of the floes, and gained some new hope at the 
sight of the well-known Pinnacly Berg. Brandy, 
which sometimes proves an invaluable resource in 
emergencies, had already been administered in table¬ 
spoon doses. After a final and stronger dram, and a 
longer rest, they resolved on a last effort to reach the 
brig, which they attained at one hour after noon. 

But words are inadequate to describe their suffer¬ 
ings in this last stage of their journey. They were 
completely delirious, and no longer entertained any 
clear apprehension of what was transpiring. Like 
men in a dream they staggered onward, blindly, un¬ 
certainly. From an inspection of their footprints af¬ 
terwards, it was seen that they had steered a bee-line 
for the brig, guided by a kind of instinct, for they re¬ 
membered nothing of their course. 

When about two miles from the brig they were met 
by Peterson and Whipple, with the dog traces, and a 
supply of restoratives, for which Kane had sent a 
message in advance by Bonsall, As soon as the frozen, 
wayworn creatures were safe on board. Dr, Hayes 
took them under his charge. All were suffering from 
brain symptoms, functional, not organic, and to be rec¬ 
tified by rest and abundant diet. Ohlsen was for some 
time affected with blindness and strabismus ; two 
others underwent amputation of parts of the foot, but 
without dangerous consequences; and two died in 
spite of every attention. The rescue party had trav¬ 
elled eighty or ninety miles, dragging a heavy sledge 
for most of the distance. They had been out for 
seventy-two hours, and halted in all eight hours. The 


mean temperature of the whole time, including the 
noontide hours of three days was about 41^, or 73® 
below freezing point. Except at their two halts they 
had no means of quenching their thirst, and they could 
at no time intermit vigorous exercise without freezing. 

It is difficult to find a severer “ experience ” of the 
perils of Arctic winter travelling, when all the cir¬ 
cumstances are taken into consideration; and the 
reader will readily admit that Dr. Kane showed as 
much decision, sagacity, and heroic resolution, as any 
leader of a “ forelorn hope,” marching to certain 
death under an enemy’s fire. 

From the depression that followed these events, 
Kane and his party were roused by a visit from the 
Esquimaux. The first who presented himself was a 
tall, powerful, well-built fellow, with swarthy com¬ 
plexion, and piercing black eyes. He wore a hooded 
capote of mixed white and blue fox-skins, arranged 
with some degree of taste; and booted trousers of 
white bearskin; which, at the end of the foot,germin¬ 
ated grimly with the animal’s claws. This visitor was 
quickly followed by a number of his countrymen. He 
showed himself both frank and fearless, and went on 
board the brig alone. Dr. Kane having satisfied him¬ 
self that no mischief was intended, invited his com¬ 
panions and some eight or nine at once accepted the 
invitation. Others, meantime, as if contemplating a 
long visit, brought up from behind the hummocks as 
many as fifty-six fine dogs, with their sledges, and se¬ 
cured them within two hundred feet of the brig, thrust¬ 
ing their spears into the ice, and picketing the dogs 
to them by the sealskin traces; it was evident the 
animals understood the meaning of the operation. 
The sledges were made of small pieces of porous bone, 
very skillfully fastened together by thongs of hide ; the 
runners, which shone like burnished steel, were of 
highly polished ivory, obtained from the tusks of the 
walrus. 

They had no other weapons than knives which they 
carried in their boots, and lances, which they lashed 
to their sledges. The latter was a formidable arm. 
The staff was made of the horn of the norwhal,or else 
of the bear’s thigh bones lashed together; wood was 
not used. As for the knives of the party, a single rusty 
hoop from a current-drifted cask might have furnished 
them all; but the lancet-shaped tips of the spears 
were made of steel, and riveted not unskillfully to the 
tapering bony point. This steel was obtained from the 
more southern tribes. 

When the Esquimaux first came on board, they 
showed themselves somewhat rude, rough, and unruly. 
They spoke three or four at a time, to each other and 



68 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


to their American hosts, laughing heartily at not being 
understood, and then chattering away as rapidly as 
before. They were perfect representatives of perpet¬ 
ual motion, going everywhere, trying doors, and forc¬ 
ing their way through dark passages, round casks 
and boxes, and out into the light again, anxious to 
touch and handle everything they saw, and soliciting 
or endeavoring to secrete everything they touched. 
Dr. Kane found it more difficult to restrain them, as 
he was anxious they should not suppose him alarmed 
by their numbers. But their curiosity was so in¬ 
satiable, that it became necessary at last to use some¬ 
thing like force to keep it within proper bounds. 
Dr. Kane’s whole company was mustered, and kept 
constantly on the alert; but they did their spiriting 
gently, and the utmost good humor prevailed. The 
Esquimaux still continued to run in and about the 
vessel, bringing in provisions, and carrying them out 
again to their dogs on the ice; and this occupied 
them until the afternoon, when they lay down to 
sleep like tired children. Dr. Kane ordered them to 
be made comfortable in the hold ; and a large buffalo 
robe was spread for their convenience in the vicinity 
of the galley store. 

In this store blazed a fire of coal; and the new 
fuel, too hard for blubber, too soft for freestone, 
filled them with amazement. They saw, however, 
that it would work quite as efficiently as seals’ fat, 
and borrowing an iron pot and some melted water, 
proceeded to parboil a couple of pieces of walrus- 
meat. The main portion of their meal—that is five 
pounds of meat a head—they preferred to eat raw. 
It was observed that they did not all eat together, 
but each man as he listed; and when he had done 
eating he lay down to sleep, his raw chunk of meat 
lying beside him. When he awoke, he took a few 
additional bites, and then went to sleep again ! They 
did not lie down as Europeans do, but adopted a sitting 
posture, with the head drooping on the breast, and 
snoring (most of them) famously. In the morning 
they departed, after selling four of their dogs and all 
the walrus-meat they could spare for some needles 
and beads and a supply of old cask staves. 

At the end of April, leaving ten of his party in the 
brig, Kane, with seven men, started on an exploring 
expedition, resolved to follow up the ice-belt to the 
Great Glacier of Humboldt, there obtain a replenish¬ 
ment of pemmican from the caches made in the 
previous October, and then make an attempt to cross 
the ice to the American shore. This was to be the 
“ crowning expedition ” of the campaign—to attain 
the Ultima Thule of the Greenland shore, measure 


the dreary frozen waste that spread between it and 
the unknown West, and the mysterious regions be¬ 
yond. It was not carried out in its entirety, but it 
resulted, nevertheless, in geographical discoveries of 
great interest. 

Let us trace the eastern coast line of Smith Sound, 
now acknowledged to be the sole highway to the 
Pole, beginning at Refuge Harbor. 

Cape Alexander may be taken as the westernmost 
point of Greenland. Thence the shore strikes nearly 
north and south, “ like the broad channel of which it 
is the boundary; ” but on reaching Refuge Inlet it 
bends nearly at a right angle, and runs from west to 
east until it has crossed the 65th meridian. Two in¬ 
dentations occur between the cape and the inlet, the 
first near the Etah Settlement, which was visited in 
1855 by a rescue expedition under Lieutenant Hart- 
stene and bearing his name; the other, the Lifeboat 
Cove, of Dr. Kane’s charts. In both, the great dead- 
white glaciers strike down to the water line having 
slowly forced their way from the gorges among the 
rocky hills of the interior. 

Besides these gaps or indentations, the coast line 
is varied by a series of headlands differing much in 
character, and at Cape Hatherton sinking into un¬ 
dulating hills. All along it lies an archipelago of 
islands, where the eider, the glaucous gull, and the 
tern breed in countless numbers. 

Cape Hatherton is a lofty and conspicuous mass of 
porphyritic rock. 

North of Refuge Harbor the coast assumes a very 
different character. There are no deep bays, no de¬ 
scending glaciers; and the deep fords and inlets do 
not reappear until we approach Rensselaer Harbor. 
There the geological structure changes also, and the 
cliffs are distinguished by their bold diversity of form, 
reminding the spectator of ruined temples, or the 
shattered facades of glorious cathedrals and min¬ 
sters. Their height sometimes exceeds one thousand 
feet. 

This grand and impressive structure extends as far 
as the Great Glacier except where diversified by the 
sweep of four great bays, each communicating with 
deep gorges, which are watered by streams from the 
inland ice-fields. The average elevation of the table¬ 
land bordered by these cloven, rugged, precipitous 
cliffs is about 900 feet; but far away in the direction 
of the mer de glaces of the unknown interior it rises 
to 1,900 feet. 

According to Dr. Kane, the most picturesque por¬ 
tion of the North Greenland coast is met with be¬ 
tween Cape George Russell and Dallas Bay. Here 


THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN—DR. KANE. 


69 


the warm red sandstones contrast agreeably with the 
cold whiteness of the snow-fields and the ice-plains, 
and into the dreary Arctic landscapes, introduce 
something of the seasonal changes of more genial 
climates. The influence of the seasonal changes has 
worked on the cliffs till they have assumed the ap¬ 
pearance of jointed masonry, which the narrow, top¬ 
most layer of greenstone caps with mimic battle¬ 
ments. 

A remarkable feature of this part of the coast was 
distinguished by our e.xplorers as the “ Three Brother 
Turrets.” The rocky precipice rose at the mouth of 
a sun-lighted gorge into the fantastic resemblance of 
a castle flanked with triple towers, boldly and clearly 
defined. 

Beyond this point, in latitude 70°, a single cliff 
of green stone rose from a crumbled base of sand¬ 
stones, like the boldly chiseled rampart of an ancient 
fortress. At its northern extremity, on the edge of a 
profound ravine, which the action of the ice and 
water excavated in the strata, stands a solitary 
column or minaret-tower as sharply finished as if 
wrought by the chisel of the sculptor. The length of 
the shaft was estimated at 480 feet, and its pedestal 
or plinth was 280 feet high. 

“ I remember well,” writes Dr. Kane, “ the emo¬ 
tions of my party as it first broke upon our view. 
Cold and sick as I was, I made a sketch of it, which 
may have interest for the reader, though it scarcely 
suggests the imposing dignity of this magnificent 
landmark. Those who are happily familiar with the 
writings of Tennyson, and have communed with his 
spirit in the solitudes of the wilderness will compre¬ 
hend the impulse that inscribed the scene with his 
name.” 

Beyond this Tennyson monument lies the Advance 
Archipelago; and to the east extends the Great 
Glacier that has received the name of .the illustrious 
German philosopher and traveller, Humbolt. It 
seems impossible to convey in words any adequate 
idea of the vast frozen river which connects instead 
of dividing the two continents of America and Green¬ 
land. Its curved face from Cape Agassiz to Cape 


Forbes, measures fully sixty miles in length, and pre¬ 
sents a grand wall or front of glistening ice, kindled 
here and there into dazzling glory by the sun. Its 
form is that of a wedge, the apex lying inland, at per¬ 
haps •' not more than a single day’s railroad travel 
from the Pole.” Thus it passes away into the cen¬ 
tre of the Greenland continent, which is occupied by 
one deep, unbroken sea of ice, twelve hundred miles 
in length, that received a perpetual increase from the 
water-shed of vast snow-mantled mountains. A 
frozen sea, yet a sea in constant motion, rolling onward 
slowly, laboriously, but surely, to find an outlet at 
each fiord or valley, and to load the seas of Green¬ 
land and the Atlantic with mighty icebergs, until, 
having attained the northern limit of the land it over¬ 
whelms, it pours out a mighty congealed torrent into 
the unknown Arctic space ! 

The discoveries which we have thus summarized 
were not made without much suffering on the part of 
Dr. Kane and his followers. The heroic leader, in¬ 
deed, almost succumbed to the terrible hardships of 
this adventurous journey, and was carried back to 
the sledge in so prostrated a condition that recovery 
seemed hopeless. It may be doubted, indeed, 
whether his strength was ever thoroughly recruited, 
though the skill and attention of Dr. Hayes, and his 
own undaunted spirit, rescued him from the jaws of 
death. All the men were more or less afflicted, and 
in the middle of June only three were able to do 
duty, and of the officers Dr. Hayes alone was on 
his feet. 

The Great Glacier had effectually terminated the 
labors of the explorers in that direction; and Dr. 
Kane determined that their future search should be 
made to the north and east of Captain Inglefield’s 
Cape Sabine. He still cherished a belief that some, 
at least of the hardier members of Sir John 
Franklin’s expedition must be alive, and, having made 
their way to the open spot of some tidal eddy, had 
set bravely to work, under the teachings of an 
Esquimau, or one of their own whalers, and trapped 
the fox, speared the bear, and killed the seal, walrus, 
and whale. 




70 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


CHAPTER VII. 


DR. HAYES—1860 AND 1869. 



ISAAC I. HAYES. 

Dr. Hayes, who had been the surgeon that accom¬ 
panied Dr. Kane’s famous expedition, was after his 
return to America unwearied in advocating renewed 
voyages of discovery and exploration in the Arctic 
regions. He fixed on Grinned Land as his base of 
operations, and the method of advancing when that 
land was reached was by sledge passages. His 
energy and perseverance met due appreciation, and 
a sufficient sum was placed at his disposal to enable 
him to fit out a schooner named the Uttited Siates,m 
which, accompanied by Mr. Sonntag as astronomer, 
Mr. Raddiffe, assistant astronomer, and a crew of 
twelve, he sailed from Boston July 6, i860. The 
voyage to the coast of Greenland was uneventful, and 
on the 30th the ship entered the Arctic circle, and on 
August 6th dropped anchor in the harbor of Proven, 


one of the Danish settlements. On the 12th, the ex¬ 
plorers were at Upernavik where three native hunters 
and an interpreter were engaged. From this spot, 
the limit of safe navigation, the hardships of the voy¬ 
age began. On the 21st a halt was made at a place 
named Tessusssak where four teams of dogs were 
taken on board, and on the 23d, the United States 
entered Melville Bay. Early in September she was 
compelled to enter Hartstene Bay, where Dr. Hayes 
resolved to establish his headquarters. Dr. Hayes 
writes: 

“ The duty of preparing the schooner for our win¬ 
ter home devolved upon Mr. McCormick, with the 
carpenter and such other assistance as he required. 
After the sails had been unbent, the yards sent down, 
and the topmasts housed, the upper deck was roofed 
in—making a house eight feet high at the ridge and 
six and a half at the side. A coating of tarred paper 
closed the cracks, and four windows let in the light 
while it lasted, and ventilated our quarters. Be¬ 
tween decks there was much to do; the hold, after 
being floored, scrubbed, and whitewashed, was con¬ 
verted into a room for the crew ; the cook-stove was 
brought down from the galley and placed in the cen¬ 
tre of it under the main hatch, in which hung our 
simple apparatus for melting water from the snow or 
ice. This was a funnel-shaped double cylinder of 
galvanized iron connecting with the stove-pipe, and 
was called the “ snow melter.” A constant stream 
poured from it into a large cask, and we had always 
a supply of the purest water, fully ample for every 
purpose. 

“ Into these quarters the crew moved on the first of 
October, and the out-door work of preparation being 
mainly completed, we entered then, with the cere¬ 
mony of a holiday dinner, upon our winter life. And 
the dinner was by no means to be despised. Our 
soup was followed by an Upernavik salmon, and the 
table groaned under a mammoth haunch of venison, 
which was flanked by a ragout of rabbit and a venison 
pasty.” 

The sun sank on October 15th, and next day the 


DR. HA YES—1S60 AND i8Sg. 


71 


doctor tried his hand at driving his dog team. This 
account is spirited: “ I drove up the Fiord in the 
morning, and have returned only a short time since. 
This Fiord lies directly north of the harbor, and it 
forms the termination of Hartstene Bay. It is about 
six miles deep by from two to four wide. Jensen was 
my driver, and I have a superb turn-out—twelve dogs 
and a fine sledge. The animals are in most excellent 
condition—every one of them strong and healthy; 
and they are very fleet. They whirl my Greenland 
sledge over the ice with a celerity not calculated for 
weak nerves. I have actually ridden behind them 


dogs are just twenty feet from the forward part of the 
runners. 

“ The team is guided solely by the whip and voice. 
The strongest dogs are placed on the outside, and the 
whole team is swayed to right and left according as 
the whip falls on the snow to the one side or the 
other, or as it touches the leading dogs, as it is sure 
to do if they do not obey the gentle hint with suffi¬ 
cient alacrity. The voice aids the whip, but in all 
emergencies the whip is the only real reliance. Your 
control over the team is exactly in proportion to your 
skill in the use of it. The lash is about four feet 



SLEDGE DRIVING WITH DOG TEAMS, 


over six measured miles in twenty-eight minutes; and, 
without stopping to blow the team, have returned over 
the track in thirty-three. We harness the dogs each 
with a single trace, and these traces are of a length 
to suit the fancy of the driver—the longer the better, 
for they are then not so easily tangled, the draught of 
the outside dogs is more direct, and, if the team comes 
upon thin ice, and breaks through, your chances of 
escape from immersion are in proportion to their dis¬ 
tance from you. The traces are all of the same 
length, and hence the dogs run side by side, and, 
when properly harnessed, their heads are in a line. 
My traces are so measured that the shoulders of the 


longer than the traces, and is tipped with a ‘ cracker ' 
of hard sinew, with which a skilful driver can draw 
blood if so '.iclined ; and he can touch either one of 
his animals on any particular spot that may suit his 
purpose. Jensen had to-day a young refractory dog 
in the team, and, having had his patience quite ex¬ 
hausted, he resolved upon extreme measures. ‘ You 
see dat beast ? ’ said he. ‘ I takes a piece out of his 
ear; ’—and sure enough, crack went the whip, the 
hard sinew wound round the tip of the ear and 
snipped it off as nicely as with a knife. 

“ This long lash, which is but a thin tapering strip 
of raw seal-hide, is swung with a whip-stock only 












































































72 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


two and a half feet long. It is very light and is con¬ 
sequently hard to handle. The peculiar turn of the 
wrist necessary to get it rolled out to its destination 
is a most difficult undertaking. It requires long and 
patient practice. I have persevered, and my perse¬ 
verance has been rewarded; and, if I am obliged to 
turn driver on emergency, I feel equal to the task, but 
I fervently hope that the emergency may not arise 
which requires me to display my skill. 

“ It is the very hardest kind of hard work. That 
merciless lash must be going continually; and it must 
be merciless or it is of no avail. The dogs are quick 
to detect the least weakness of the driver, and meas¬ 
ure him on the instant. If not thoroughly convinced 
that the soundness of their skins, is quite at his 
mercy, they go where they please. If they see a fox 
crossing the ice, or come upon a bear track, or ‘ wind ’ 
a seal, or sight a bird, away they dash over snow¬ 
drifts and hummocks, pricking up their short ears and 
curling up their long bushy tails for a wild, wolfish 
race after the game. If the whip-lash goes out with 
fierce snap, the ears and the tails drop, and they go 
on about their proper business; but woe be unto you 
if they get the control. I have seen my own driver 
only to-day sorely put to his metal, and not until he 
had brought a yell of pain from almost every dog in 
the team did he conquer their obstinacy. They were 
running after a fox, and were taking us toward what 
appeared to be unsafe ice. The wind was blowing 
hard, and the lash was sometimes driven back into 
the driver’s face—hence the difficulty, The whip, 
however, finally brought them to reason, and in full 
view of the game, and within a few yards of the 
treacherous ice, they came first down into a limping 
trot and then stopped, most unwillingly. Of course, 
this made them very cross, and a general fight—fierce 
and angry—now followed, which was not quieted 
until the driver had sailed in among them and knocked 
them to right and left with his hard hickory whip¬ 
stock. I have had an adventure with the same team, 
and know to my cost what an unruly set they are, 
and how hard it is to get the mastery of them; but 
once mastered, like a spitited horse, they are obedient 
enough; but also, like that noble animal, they require 
now and then to have a very positive reminder as to 
whom the obedience is owing. 

“ Wishing to try my hand, I set out to take a turn 
round the harbor. The wind was blowing at my 
back, and when I had gone far enough, and wanted to 
wheel round and return, the dogs were not so minded. 
There is nothing they dislike so much as to face the 
wind; and, feeling very fresh, they were evidently 


ready for some sport. Moreover, they may, perhaps, 
have wanted to see what manner of man this new 
driver was. They were very familiar with him per¬ 
sonally, for he had petted them often enough; but 
they had not before felt the strength of his arm. 

After much difficulty I brought them at last up to 
the course, but I could keep them there only by con¬ 
stant use of the lash ; and since this was three times 
out of four blown back into my face, it was evident 
that I could not long hold out; besides, my face was 
freezing in the wind. My arm, not used to such vio¬ 
lent exercise, soon fell almost paralyzed, and the whip¬ 
lash trailed behind me on the snow. The dogs were 
not slow to discover that something was wrong. They 
looked back over their shoulders inquiringly, and, dis¬ 
covering that the lash was not coming, they ventured 
to diverge gently to the right. Finding the effort 
not resisted, they gained courage and increased their 
speed; and at length they wheeled short round, 
turned their tails to the wind, and dashed off on their 
own course, as happy as a parcel of boys freed from 
the restraints of the school-room, and with the wild 
rush of a dozen wolves. And how they danced along 
and barked and rejoiced in their short-lived liberty! 

“ If the reader has ever chanced to drive a pair of 
unruly horses for a few hours, and has had occasion to 
find rest for his aching arms on a long, steep hill, he 
will understand the satisfaction which I took in find¬ 
ing the power returning to mine. I could again use 
the whip, and managed to turn the intractable team 
among a cluster of hummocks and snow-drifts, which 
somewhat impeded their progress. Springing sud¬ 
denly off, I caught the upstander and capsized the 
sledge. The points of the runners were driven deeply 
into the snow, and my runaways were anchored. A 
vigorous application of my sinew-tipped lash soon con¬ 
vinced them of the advantages of obedience, and when 
I turned up the sledge and gave them the signal to 
start they trotted off in the meekest manner possible, 
facing the wind without rebelling, and giving me no 
further trouble. I think they will remember the les¬ 
son—and so shall I. 

“ These dogs are singular animals, and are a curious 
study. They have their leader and their sub-leaders 
—the rulers and the ruled—like any other commu¬ 
nity desiring good government. The governed get 
what rights they can, and the governors bully them 
continually in order that they may enjoy security 
against rebellion, and live in peace. And a commu¬ 
nity of dogs is really organized on the basis of correct 
principles. As an illustration,—my teams are under 
the control of a big aggressive brute, who sports a 


DR. HA YES — jS6o AND iS6g. 


73 


dirty red uniform with snuff-colored facings, and has 
sharp teeth ; he possesses immense strength, and his 
every movement shows that he is perfectly conscious 
of it. In the twinkling of an eye he can trounce any 
dog in the whole herd; and he seems to possess the 
faculty of destroying conspiracies, cabals, and all evil 
designings against his stern rule. None of the other 
dogs like him, but they cannot help themselves; they 
are afraid to turn against him, for when they do so 
there is no end to the chastisements which they re¬ 
ceive. Now Oosisoak (for that is his name) has a 
rival, a huge, burly fellow, with black uniform and 
white collar. This dog is called Karsuk, which ex¬ 
presses the complexion of his coat. He is larger 


advantage; for, if the present relations of things 
were disturbed, my community of dogs would be in a 
state of anarchy. Oosisoak would go into exile, and 
would die of laziness and a broken heart, and great 
and bloody would be the feuds between the rival in¬ 
terests, led by Karsuk and Erebus, before it was de¬ 
cided which is the better team. 

“Oosisoak has other traits befitting greatness. He 
has sentiment. He has chosen one to share the glory 
of his reign, to console his sorrows, and to lick his 
wounds when fresh from the bloody field. Oosisoak 
has a queen; and this object of his affection, this 
idol of his heart, is never absent from his side. She 
runs beside him in the team, and she fights for him 



THE OPEN SEA. 


than Oosisoak, but not so active nor so intelligent. 
Occasionally he has a set-to with his master; but he 
always comes off second best, and his unfortunate 
followers are afterwards flogged in detail by the mer¬ 
ciless red-coat. The place of Oosisoak, when har¬ 
nessed to the sledge, is on the left of the line, and 
that of Karsuk on the right. 

“ There is another powerful animal which we call 
Erebus, who governs Sonntag’s team as Oosisoak 
governs mine, and he can whip Karsuk, but he never 
has a bout with my leader except at his peril and that 
of his followers. And thus they go along, fighting to 
preserve the peace, and chawing each other up to 
maintain the balance of power ; and this is all to my 


harder than any one of his male subjects. In return 
for this devotion he allows her to do pretty much as 
she pleases. She may steal the bone out of his 
mouth, and he gives it up to her with a sentimental 
grimace that is quite instructive. But it happens 
sometimes that he is himself hungry, and he trots 
after her, and when he thinks that she has got her 
share he growls significantly; whereupon she drops 
the bone without even a murmur. If the old fellow 
happens to be particularly cross when a reindeer is 
thrown to the pack, he gets upon it with his forefeet, 
begins to gnaw away at the flank, growling a wolfish 
growl all the while, and no dog dare to come near 
until he has had his fill except Queen Arkadik (for by 






























74 


G/^£A T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


that name is she known), nor can she approach ex¬ 
cept in one direction. She must come alongside of 
him, and crawl between his fore legs and eat lovingly 
from the spot where he is eating.” 

During October preparations were made for inland 
exploration, and on October 22d, the travellers set out 
for the glacier to whose summit they arrived on the 
following day. The sides of this moving ice-mass 
were rough, but the centre was comparatively smooth, 
and they were able to make thirty to twenty miles a 
day, when a fall of the temperature to 34° below zero 
and a fierce gale of wind drove them back to their 
winter quarters. This was the first successful at¬ 
tempt to penetrate the interior over this inland ice¬ 
field. 

The winter was passed in short explorating excur¬ 
sions and in hunting expeditions, but the voyagers 
were saddened by the death of Mr. Sonntag, who, late 
in December, started for Whale Sound. He passed 
Cape Alexander without any trouble, and was on his 
way to Northumberland Island, when, feeling chilly, 
he left the sledge and ran ahead of the dogs. He 
thus came unawares on thin ice, which broke beneath 
his weight, and was rescued by his attendant, Hans. 
He at once set out to return to a place of shelter, 
but when he arrived at Sorfalik, where there was a 
hut, he was stiff and speechless, and next day died. 
Not till the following March was the body recovered 
and interred by his cruising messmates. 

By that time all the arrangements for a journey 
northward were completed, the sun had returned, and 
on the 16th March Dr. Hayes started to explore the 
track and determine whether it were better to follow 
Kane’s route on the Greenland coast or cross the 
Sound and seek to reach a favorable base on Grinnell 
Land. Passing with his sledge Sunrise Point and 
Point Hatherton, Hayes discovered a cairn perched 
on a conspicuous point and in it a glass \dal, contain¬ 
ing this record : 

“ The U. S. steamer Arctic touched here and ex¬ 
amined thoroughly for traces of Dr. Kane and his 
associates, without finding anything more than a vial, 
'^ith a small piece of cartridge-paper with the letters 
‘O. K. Aug. 1853,’ some matches, and a ship’s rifle- 
ball. We go from this unknown point to Cape Hath¬ 
erton for a search. 

“ H. J. Hartstene, 

“ Lieut. Comdg. Arctic Expedition. 

“ 8 P. M. August 16, 1855. 

“ P. S. Should the U. S. bark Release this, she 
will understand that we are bound for a search at 
Cape Hatherton. H. J. H.” 


The view from this point was not encouraging, 
the ice was very rough, and jammed against the 
shore and piled up in great ridges. 

The view decided his course of action. Cairn 
Point would be his starting-point if he crossed the 
Sound, and a most convenient position for a depot of 
supplies in the event of being obliged to hold up on 
the Greenland coast. Accordingly, he took from the 
sledges all of the provisions except what was neces¬ 
sary for a six days’ consumption, and discovering a 
suitable cleft in a rock, deposited it therein, covering 
it over with heavy stones, to protect it from the bears, 
intending to proceed up the coast for a general 
inspection of the condition of the ice on the Sound. 

These various operations consumed the day; so 
they fed the dogs and dug into another snow-bank, 
and got through another night after the fashion of 
Arctic travellers, which is not much of a fashion to 
boast of. They slept and did not freeze, and more 
than this they did not expect. 

The next day’s journey was made with light 
sledges, but it was much more tedious than the two 
days preceding; for the track was rough, and during 
the greater part of the time it was as much as the 
dogs could do to get through the hummocked ice 
with nothing on the sledge but our little food and 
sleeping gear, As for riding, that was entirely out of 
the question. After nine hours of this sort of work, 
during which they made not over twenty miles, they 
were well satisfied to draw up to the first convenient 
snow-bank for another nightly burrow. In the shelter 
they constructed it was noticed with surprise that the 
temperature could not be made to rise above 30^, 
and various conjectures as to the cause were made, 
but on taking the thermometer out into the open air, 
it sank rapidly to 68)4° below zero, that is 100)4° 
below the freezing point of water. This is one of the 
lowest temperatures on record, yet in the profound 
calm of the air and the blazing sunlight it was per¬ 
ceptible to the senses. 

This experimental journey proved that the road 
along the Greenland coast was wholly impracticable. 
The condition of the ice was very different from what 
it was in 1853-54. Then the coast ice was mainly 
smooth, and the hummocks were not met until they 
had gone from ten to twenty miles from the shore. 
Now there was no such belt. The winter had set in 
while the ice was crowding upon the land, and the 
pressure had been tremendous. Vast masses were 
piled up along the track, and the whole sea was but 
one confused jumble of ice-fragments, forced up by 
the pressure to an enormous height, and frozen 


DR. HA YES—1860 AND i86g. 


75 


together in that position. The whole scene was the 
Rocky Mountains on a small scale ; peak after peak, 
ridge after ridge, spur after spur, separated by deep 
valleys, into which they descended over a rough 
declivity, and then again ascended on the other side, 
to cross an elevated crest and repeat the operation. 
The travelling was very laborious. It was but an end¬ 
less clambering over ice-masses of every form and size. 

On the homeward journey they halted at Cairn 
Point, and then drove on to the schooner out of which 
they transferred to Cairn Point, the stores needful for 
their summer journey across Smith Sound. 

“ My field party,” Dr. Hayes writes, “ consisted of 
every available officer and man in the schooner, 
twelve in number. We were all ready to start at 
seven o’clock; and when I joined them on the ice 
beside the schooner their appearance was as pictur¬ 
esque as it was animated. In advance stood Jensen, 
impatiently rolling out his long whip-lash, and his 
eight dogs, harnessed to his sledge, ‘ The Hope,’ were 
as impatient as he. Next came Knorr with six dogs 
and the ‘ Perseverance,’ to the upstander of which he 
had tied a little blue flag bearing this, his motto, 
‘ Toujourspret.' Then came a lively group of eight 
men, each with a canvas belt across his shoulder, to 
which was attached a line that fastened him to the 
sledge. Alongside the sledge stood McCormick and 
Dodge, ready to steer it among the hummocks, and 
on the sledge was mounted a twenty-foot metallic 
life-boat with which I hoped to navigate the Polar 
Sea. The mast was up and the sails were spread, 
and from the peak floated our boat’s ensign, which 
had seen service in two former Arctic and in one 
Antarctic voyage, and at the masthead were run up 
the Masonic emblems. Our little signal-flag was 
stuck in the stern-sheets. The sun was shining 
brightly into the harbor, and everybody was filled 
with enthusiasm, and ready for the hard pull that was 
to come. Cheer after cheer met me as I came down the 
stairway from the deck. At a given signal Radcliffe, 
who was left in charge of the vessel, touched off the 
‘ swivel: ’ ‘ March,’ cried McCormick, crack went the 
whips, the dogs sprang into their collars, the men 
stretched their ‘ track ropes,’ and the cavalcade 
moved off.” 

For several days after Cairn Point was reached a 
severe storm kept the party prisoners, but at the end 
of the tenth day they set out to cross the Sound with 
a moderate load. The ice was rough, and all idea of 
taking a boat across had to be abandoned, and on 
the 26th of April they had only advanced thirty miles. 
On the ?6th Dr. Hayes writes in his diary : 


“ I feel to-night that I am getting rapidly to the 
end of my rope. Each day strengthens the convic¬ 
tion, not only that we can never reach Grinnell Land, 
with provisions for a journey up the coast to the 
Polar Sea, but that it cannot be done at all. I have 
talked to the officers, and they are all of this opinion. 
They say the thing is hopeless. Dodge put it thus : 
‘ You might as well try to cross the City of New 
York over the house-tops! ’ They are brave and 
spirited men enough, lack not courage nor persever¬ 
ance ; but it does seem as if one must own that there 
are some difficulties which cannot be surmounted. 
But I have in this enterprise too much at stake to 
own readily to defeat, and we will try again to-mor¬ 
row. 

April 27th. 

“ Worse and worse ! We have to-day made but little 
progress, the sledge is badly broken, and I am brought 
to a stand-still. There does not appear to be the 
ghost of a chance for me. Must I own myself a de¬ 
feated man ? I fear so. 

” I was never in all my life so disheartened as I am 
to-night; not even when, in the midst of a former 
winter, I bore up with my party through hunger and 
cold, beset by hostile savages, and, without food or 
means of transportation, encountered the uncertain 
fortunes of the Arctic night in the ineffectual pursuit 
of succor. 

“ Smith Sound has given me but one succession of 
baffling obstacles. Since I first caught sight of Cape 
Alexander, last autumn, as the vanishing storm un¬ 
covered its grizzly head, I have met with but ill- 
fortune. My struggles to reach the west coast were 
then made against embarrassments of the most grave 
description, and they were not abandoned until the 
winter closed. 

“ Now the ice is infinitely worse than it then was, 
and I have been forced to the conclusion that the at¬ 
tempt to cross the Sound with sledges has resulted in 
failure ; and that my only hope to accomplish that ob¬ 
ject now rests in the schooner. Having the whole of 
the season before me, I think that I can, even without 
steam, get over to Cape Isabella, and work thence up 
the west shore, and, even should I not be able to get 
as far up the Sound as I once hoped, yet I can, no 
doubt, secure a harbor for next winter in some eligi¬ 
ble position. Coming to this conclusion, I have de¬ 
termined to send back the men, and I have given 
McCormick full directions what to do, in order that 
the vessel may be prepared when the ice breaks up 
and liberates her. He is to cradle the schooner in 
the ice by digging around her sides; repair the dam- 



76 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


age done last autumn, and mend the broken spars, 
and patch the sails. 

“ For myself, I stay to fight away at the battle as 
best I can with my dogs. 

“ The men have given me twenty-five days of good 
service, and have aided me nearly half-way across 
the Sound with about eight hundred pounds of 
food ; and this is all that they can do. Their work is 
ended. ' 

“ Although the chance of getting through with the 
dogs looks hopeless; yet, hopeless though the pros¬ 
pect, I feel that, when disembarrassed of the men, 
I ought to make one further effort, I have picked my 
companions, and have given them their orders. 
They will be Knorr, Jensen, and sailor McDonald 
—plucky men all, if I mistake not, and eager 
for the journey. And now when I think of this 
new trial which I shall make to-moncw, my 
hopes revive ; but when I remember the fruitless 
struggles of the past few days and think of these 
hummocks, with peak after peak rising one above the 
other, and with ridge after ridge in endless succession 
intersecting each other at all angles and in all direc¬ 
tions, I must own that my heart almost fails me and 
my thoughts incline me to abandon the effort and re¬ 
treat from what everybody, from Jensen down, says 
cannot be done, and rely upon the schooner for cross¬ 
ing the Sound. But I have not failed yet! I have 
fourteen dogs and three picked men left to me ; and 
now, abandoning myself to the protecting care of an 
all-wise Providence, who has so often led me to suc¬ 
cess and shielded me from danger, I renew the strug¬ 
gle to-morrow with hope and determination. Away 
with despondency! ” 

In such spirits did they set out, but their progress 
was still slow, and on May 5th the entry in the diary 
is, “ Little progress to record. Affairs look rather 
blue,” then day after day are the words “ Battling 
away as before,” “ Still battling away,”“ At the same 
hopeless work,” till, on May nth, the cheerful line oc¬ 
curs, “ In camp at last, and as happy as we can be 
who have achieved success.” 

The journey across the Sound from Cairn Point 
was unexampled in Arctic traveling. The dis¬ 
tance from land to land, as the crow flies, did not 
exceed eighty miles; and yet the journey had con¬ 
sumed thirty-one days — but little more than two 
miles daily. The track, however, which they were 
forced to choose, was often at least three times that 
of a straight line ; and since almost every mile of that 
tortuous route was traveled over three and often five 
times, in bringing up the separate portions of the 


cargo, our actual distance did not probably average 
less than sixteen miles daily, or about five hundred 
miles in all, between Cairn Point and Cape Hawks. 
The last forty miles, made with dog-sledges alone, 
occupied fourteen days—a circumstance which will, of 
itself, exhibit the difficult nature of the undertaking, 
especially when it is borne in mind that forty miles to 
an ordinary team of dogs, over usually fair ice, is a 
trifling matter for five hours, and would not fatigue 
the team half so much as a single hour’s pulling of 
the same load over such hummocks, as confronted us 
throughout this entire journey. 

They did not halt longer at Cape Hawks than was 
needful to rest the teams, when they commenced the 
journey up the coast. The first day’s march was 
across the wide bay between Cape Hawks and Napo¬ 
leon. Owing to the conformation of the coast, the 
bay had been sheltered from the winds, and the snows 
of the winter, in consequence, lay loose upon the sur¬ 
face of the ice. They had, however, no alternative but 
to cross the bay, for to go outside was to plunge again 
into the hummocks. The snows had accumulated to 
the depth of more than two feet, through which the 
wading was very toilsome. The land-ice was reached 
next morning, and a brisk run to the north was made, 
where, at the furthest point reached in 1854, a camp 
was made. They were now in Kennedy Channel, and 
as they proceeded experienced, in even a greater degree 
than in South Sound, the immense force of the ice 
pressure. 

The ice was much less rough than that which we 
had crossed in Smith Sound, owing to the old floes 
having been less closely impacted while that part of 
the sea was freezing up during the last autumn or 
winter. Hence, there was much more new ice. It 
was evident that the sea had been open to a very 
late period; and, indeed, like the water off Port 
Foulke, had not closed up completely until the spring. 
It was unusual to see the ice so thin and washed 
away thus early in the season. Small patches of open 
water were visible at points where the conformation 
of the coast warranted the conclusion that an eddy of 
the current had operated upon the ice more rapidly 
than in other places. 

Hayes was struck with the circumstance that no 
land was visible to the eastward, as it would not have 
been difficult through such an atmosphere to distin¬ 
guish land at the distance of fifty or sixty miles. It 
vyould appear, therefore, that Kennedy Channel is 
something wider than hitherto supposed. To the 
northeast the sky was dark and cloudy, and gave 
evidence of water; and one of the crew, who 


DR. HA YES—1S60 AND 1869. 


77 


watched the rapid advance of the season with solici¬ 
tude, was not slow to direct attention to the “ water- 
sky.” 

The temperature of the air was strangely mild, and, 
indeed, distressingly so for travelling, although it pos¬ 
sessed its conveniences in enabling them to sleep upon 
the sledges in the open air with comfort. The lowest 
temperature during the day was 20°; while, at one 
time, it rose to the freezing-point—the sun blazing 
down while they trudged on under their heavy load of 
furs. The day seemed really sultry. To discard furs 
and travel in shirt-sleeves was, of course, the first 
impulse; but to do so added to the load on the 
sledges, and it was of the first importance that 
the dogs should be spared every pound of unneces¬ 
sary weight; so each one carried his own coat upon 
his back, and perspired after his own fashion. 

The distance accomplished amounted by this time 
to four hundred and fifty miles from the schooner, and 
Dr. Hayes began to congratulate himself on his suc¬ 
cess, when a serious accident to his strongest man, 
Jansen, troubled him exceedingly as he not only lost 
his services, but had to leave McDonald in charge of 
him while he pushed on alone with Knorr. The re¬ 
sult of this brave undertaking we subjoin in Dr. 
Hayes’s own language: 

My purpose now w'as to make the best push I could, 
and, travelling as far as my provisions warranted, 
reach the highest attainable latitude and secure such 
a point of observation as would enable me to form a 
definite opinion respecting the sea before me, and the 
prospects of reaching and navigating it with a boat 
or with the schooner. I had already reached a posi¬ 
tion somewhat to the northward of that attained by 
Morton, of Dr. Kane’s expedition, in June, 1854, and 
was looking out upon the same sea from a point probably 
about sixty miles to the northward and westward of 
Cape Constitution, where, only a month later in the 
season, his further progress was arrested by open 
water. 

It only remained for me now to extend the survey 
as far to the north as possible. By the judicious hus¬ 
banding of my resources I had still within my hands 
ample means to guarantee a successful termination to 
a journey which the increasing darkness and extent 
of the water-sky to the northeast seemed to warn me 
was approaching its climax. 

Our first day’s journey was not particularly en¬ 
couraging. The ice in the bay was rough and the 
snow deep, and, after nine hours of laborious work, 
we were compelled to halt for rest, having made, 
since setting out, not more than as many miles. Our 


progress had been much retarded by a dense fog 
which settled over us soon after starting, and which, 
by preventing us from seeing thirty yards on either 
side, interfered with the selection of a track ; and we 
were, in consequence, forced to pursue our course by 
compass. 

The fog clearing up by the time we had become 
rested, and the land being soon reached, we pursued 
our way along the ice-foot with much the same fortune 
as had befallen us since striking the shore above Cape 
Napoleon. The coast presented the same features— 
great wall-sided cliffs rising at our left, with a jagged 
ridge of crushed ice at our right, forming a white 
fringe, as it were, to the dark rocks. We were, in 
truth, journeying along a winding gorge or valley, 
formed by the land on one side and the ice on the 
other; for this ice-fringe rose about fifty feet above 
our heads, and, except here and there where a cleft 
gave us an outlook upon the sea, we were as com¬ 
pletely hemmed in as if in a canon of the Cordilleras. 
Occasionally, however, a bay broke in upon the con¬ 
tinuity of the lofty coast, and as we faced to the west¬ 
ward along its southern margin, a sloping terraced 
valley opened before us, rising gently from the sea to 
the base of the mountains, which rose with imposing 
grandeur. I was never more impressed with the 
dreariness and desolation of an Arctic landscape. 
Although my situation on the summit of the Green¬ 
land 7 ner de glace, in October* of the last year, had 
apparently left nothing unsupplied to the imagination 
that was needed to fill the picture of boundless steril¬ 
ity, yet here the variety of forms seemed to magnify 
the impression on the mind, and to give a wider play 
to the fancy; and as the eye wandered from peak to 
peak of the mountains as they rose one above the 
other, and rested upon the dark and frost-degraded 
cliffs, and followed along the ice-foot, and overlooked 
the sea, and saw in every object the silent forces of 
Nature moving on through the gloom of winter and 
the sparkle of summer, now, as they had moved for 
countless ages, unobserved save by the eye of God 
alone, I felt how puny indeed are all men’s works and 
efforts; and when I sought for some token of living 
thing, some track of wild beast—a fox, or bear, or 
reindeer—which had elsewhere always crossed me 
in m'y journeyings, and saw nothing but two feeble 
men and our struggling dogs, it seemed indeed 
as if the Almighty had frowned upon the hills and 
seas. 

Since leaving Cairn Point we had looked most 
anxiously for bears ; but although we had seen many 
tracks, especially about Cape Frazer, not a single# 




78 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


animal had been observed. A bear, indeed, would 
have been a Godsend to us, and would have placed 
me wholly beyond anxiety respecting the strength of 
the dogs, as it would not only have put new life into 
them, but it would have given them several days of 
more substantial rations than the dried beef which 
they had been so long fed upon. 

After a ten hours’ march, we found ourselves once 
more compelled to camp; and four hours of the fol¬ 
lowing day brought us to the southern cape of a bay 
which was so deep that, as in other cases of like 
obstruction, we determined to cross over it rather 
than to follow the shore line. We had gone only a 
few miles when we found our progress suddenly 
arrested. Our course was made directly for a con¬ 
spicuous headland bounding the bay to the north¬ 
ward, over a strip of old ice lining the shore. This 
headland seemed to be about twenty miles from us, 
or near Latitude 82°, and I was very desirous of 
reaching it; but, unhappily, the old ice came sud¬ 
denly to an end, and, after scrambling over the fringe 
of hummocks which margined it, we found ourselves 
upon ice of the late winter. The unerring instinct of 
the dogs warned us of approaching danger. They 
were observed for some time to be moving with 
unusual caution, and finally they scattered to right 
and left, and refused to proceed further. This be¬ 
havior of the dogs was too familiar to me to leave 
any doubt as to its meaning; and moving forward in 
advance, I quickly perceived that the ice was rotten 
and unsafe. Thinking that this might be merely a 
local circumstance, resulting from some peculiarity of 
the current, we doubled back upon the old floe and 
made another trial further to the eastward. Walking 
now in advance of the dogs they were inspired with 
greater courage. I had not proceeded far when I 
found the ice again giving way under the staff, with 
which I sounded its strength, and again we turned 
back and sought a still more eastern passage. 

Two hours consumed in efforts of this kind, during 
which we had worked about four miles out to sea, 
convinced me that the ice outside the bay was wholly 
impassible, and that perseverance could only end in 
disappointment; for if we happened to break through, 
we should not only be in great jeopardy but would, by 
getting wet, greatly retard, if not wholly defeat our 
progress to the opposite shore. Accordingly we drew 
back toward the land, seeking safety again upon the 
old floe, and hauling then to the westward, endeav¬ 
ored to cross over further up the bay; but here the 
same conditions existed as outside, and the dogs res¬ 
olutely refused to proceed as soon as we left the old 


ice. Not wishing to be defeated in my purpose of 
crossing over, we held still further west and perse¬ 
vered in our efforts until convinced that the bay could 
not be crossed, and then we had no alternative but to 
retreat to the land-ice and follow its circuit to our 
destination. 

With the view of ascertaining how far this course 
was likely to carry us from a direct line, I walked, 
while the dogs were resting, a few miles along the 
shore until I could see the head of the bay, distant 
not less than twenty miles. To make this long ditour 
would occupy at least two if not three days,—an 
undertaking not justified by the state of our provisions 
—and we therefore went into camp, weary with more 
than twelve hours’ work, to await the issue of further 
observation on the morrow. 

Surprised at the condition of the ice in the bay, I 
determined to climb the hill above the camp, with the, 
view of ascertaining the probable cause of our being 
thus baffled; and to ascertain if a more direct route 
could not be found further to the eastward than that 
by the land-ice of the bay; for it was now clear that 
it was only possible to continue our journey northward 
in one or the other of these directions. The labors of 
the day made it necessary, however, that I should 
procure some rest before attempting to climb the hill 
to such an elevation as would enable me to obtain a 
clear view of the condition of the ice to the opposite 
shore. 

After a most profound and refreshing sleep, inspired 
by a weariness which I had rarely before experienced 
to an equal degree, I climbed the steep hill-side to the 
top of a ragged cliff, which I supposed to be about 
eight hundred feet above the level of the sea. 

The view that I had from this elevation furnished 
a solution of the cause of my progress being arrested 
on the previous day. 

The ice was everywhere in the same condition as 
in the mouth of the b^y, across which I had endeav¬ 
ored to pass. A broad crack, starting from the mid¬ 
dle of the bay, stretched over the sea, and uniting 
with other cracks as it meandered to the eastward, it 
expanded as the delta of some mighty river discharg¬ 
ing into the ocean, and under a water-sky, which hung 
upon the northern and eastern horizon, it was lost in 
the open sea. 

Standing against the dark sky at the north, there 
was seen in dim outline the white sloping summit of a 
noble headland—the most northern known land upon 
the globe. I judged it to be in Latitude 82° 30', or 
four hundred and fifty miles from the North Pole. 
Nearer, another bold cape stood forth; and nearer 


DR. HA YES—1S60 AND 1S69. 


79 


still the headland, for which I had been steering my 
course the day before, rose majestically from the sea, 
as if pushing up into the very skies a lofty mountain 
peak, upon which the winter had dropped its diadem 
of snows. There was no land visible except the coast 
upon which I stood. 

The sea beneath me was a mottled sheet of white 
and dark patches, these latter being either soft decay¬ 
ing ice or places where the ice had wholly disap¬ 
peared. These spots were heightened in intensity of 
shade and multiplied in size as they receded, until the 
belt of the water-sky blended them altogether into 
one uniform color of dark blue. The old and solid 
floes (some a quarter of a mile, and others miles, 
across) and the massive ridges and wastes of hum- 
mocked ice which lay piled between them and around 
their margins, were the only parts of the sea which 
retained the whiteness and solidity of winter. 

I reserve for anotner time all discussion of the 
value of the observations which I made from this 
point. Suffice it here to say that all the evidences 
showed that I stood upon the shores of the Polar 
Basin, and that the broad ocean lay at my feet; that 
the land upon which I stood, culminating in the dis¬ 
tant cape before me, was but a point of land project¬ 
ing far into it, like the Ceverro Vostochnoi Noss of 
the opposite coast of Siberia ; and that the little mar¬ 
gin of ice which lined the shore was being steadily 
worn away ; and within a month, the whole sea would 
be as free from ice as I had seen the north water of 
Baffin Bay—interrupted only by a moving pack, 
drifting to and fro at the will of the winds and cur¬ 
rents. 

To proceed further north was, of course, impossi¬ 
ble. The crack which I have mentioned would, of 
itself, have prevented us from making the opposite 
land, and the ice outside the bay was even more de¬ 
cayed than inside. Several open patches were ob¬ 
served near the shore, and in one of these there was 
seen a flock of Dovekie. At several points during our 
march up Kennedy Channel I had observed their 
breeding places, but I was not a little surprised to see 
the birds at this locality so early in the season. Seve¬ 
ral burgomaster-gulls flew overhead, making their 
way northward, seeking the open water for their feed- 
ing grounds and summer haunts. Around these 
haunts of the birds there is never ice after the early 
days of June. 

And now my journey was ended, and I had nothing 
to do but make my way back to Port Foulke. The 
advancing season, the rapidity with which the thaw 
was taking place, the certainty that the open water 


was eating into Smith Sound as well through Baffin 
Bay from the south, as through Kennedy Channel 
from the north, thus endangering my return across to 
the Greenland shore, warned rhe that I had lingered 
long enough. 

It now only remained for us to plant our flag in 
token of our discovery, and to deposit a record in' 
proof of our presence. The fldgs were tied to the 
whip-lash, and suspended between two tall rocks, an(J 
while we were building a cairn, they were ^llowed tc” 
flutter in the breeze ; then, tearing a leaf from my 
note-book, I wrote on it as follows : 

“ This point, the most northern land that has ever beer?' 
reached, was visited by the undersigned. May 18, 19,’ 
1861, accompanied by George F. Knoor, travelling with 
a dog-sledge. We arrived here after a toilsome march' 
of forty-six days from my winter harbor, near Cape 
Alexander, at the mouth of Smith Sound. My observa¬ 
tions place us in Latitude 81° 35', Longitude 70° 30', 

Our further progress was stopped by rotten ice and 
cracks. Kennedy Channel appears to expand into the 
Polar Basin ; and, satisfied that it is navigable at least 
during the months of July, August, and September, I 
go hence to my winter harbor, to make another trial to 
get through Smith Sound with my vessel, after the icfe 
breaks up this summer. 

“ 1. 1. Hayes. 

“ May 19, 1861.” 

This record being carefully secured in a small glass 
vial which I brought for the purpose, was deposited 
beneath the cairn ; and then our faces were turned 
homewards. But I quit the place with reluctance'. 
It possessed a fascination for me, and it was with n<} 
ordinary sensations that I contemplated my situation; 
with one solitary companion, in that hitherto untrod¬ 
den desert; while my nearness to the earth’s axis, the 
consciousness of standing upon land far beyond the 
limits of previous observation, the reflections which 
crossed my mind respecting the vast ocean which lay 
spread out before me, the thought that these ice- 
girdled waters might lash the shores of distant is¬ 
lands where dwell human beings of an unknown race, 
were circumstances calculated to invest ’fbe Very aif 
with mystery, to deepen the curiosity, and'f6''^ffength- 
en the resolution to persevere in my determ'friaition td 
sail upon this sea and to explore its furthest ’limits^ 
and as I recalled the struggles which had beeh'fnade 
to reach this sea—through the ice and across the ice 
—by generations of brave men, it seemed as if the 
spirits of these Old Worthies came to encourage me, 
as their experience had already guided me; and I 
felt that I had within my grasp “ the great and nota- 





8 o 


GREA^ ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


ble thing ” which had inspired the zeal of sturdy 
Frobrishei, ana that I had achieved the hope of match¬ 
less Parry. 

It may be interesting to know what the flags 
thus given to the Arctic breezes at “ Hayes’s 
Furthest ” were : They were a small United States 
flag (boat’s ensign), which had been carried in the 
South Sea Expedition of Captain Wilkes, U. S. N., 
and afterwards in the Arctic Expeditions of Lieut. 
Comg. DeHaven and Dr. Kane ; a little United States 
flag which had been committed to Mr. Sonntag by 
the ladies of the Albany Academy; two diminutive 
Masonic flags intrusted to Dr. Hayes—one by the 
Kane Lodge, of New York, the other by the Columbia 
Lodge, of Boston; and the Expedition signal-flag, 
bearing the Expedition emblem, the Pole Star—a 
crimson star, on a white field—also a gift from fair 
hands. Being under the obligation of a sacred 
promise to unfurl all these flags at the most northern 
point attained, it was his pleasing duty to carry them 
with him—a duty rendered none the less pleasing by 
the circumstance that, together, they did not weigh 
three pounds. 

On June 3, the doctor was on board the schooner 
once more, having trav'elled not less than 1,300 miles 
since April 3d, and not less than 1,600 since his first 
setting out in March. He came back fully convinced 
that a route to the Pole free enough for steam naviga¬ 
tion is open every summer from Cape Frazer. His 
further course was dependent on the condition of the 
schooner, which had been seriously injured. It was 
found that the damage which the v'essel had sus¬ 
tained, was so great that to strike ice again would be 
sure to sink her. It was resolved therefore to return 
home, refit, and add steam-power to his resources, 
and the doctor, after stating at length the reasons for 
this determination, and the experiences which con¬ 
firmed, he adds: 

“ I have secured the following important advan¬ 
tages for the future, and, with these I must, perforce, 
rest satisfied for the present: 

“ I. I have brought my party through without sick¬ 
ness, and have thus shown that the Arctic winter of 
itself breeds neither scurvy nor discontent. 

" 2. I have shown that men may subsist themselves 
in Smith Sound independent of support from home. 

“ 3. That a self-sustaining colony may be estab¬ 
lished at Port Foulke, and be made the basis of an 
extended exploration. 

" 4. That the exploration of this entire region is 
practicable from Port Foulke—having from that 
starting-point pushed my discoveries much beyond 


my predecessors, without any second party in the 
field to cooperate with me, and under the most 
adverse circumstances. 

“ 5. That, with a reasonable degree of certainty, it 
is shown that, with a strong vessel. Smith Sound may 
be navigated and the open sea reached beyond it. 

6. I have shown that the open sea exists.” 

On July 13th, the ship was fairly out, truly afloat 
after ten months imprisonment in the ice, and leaving 
Smith Sound he proceeded on his course to Whale 
Sound which Hayes was desirous of exploring. This 
he did thoroughly and then stood southward, mak¬ 
ing land on the morning of August 12th at Horse’s 
Head, whence after three days of groping through fog 
he cast anchor in Upernavik Bay. Here he writes: 

“ While the chain was yet clicking in the hawse- 
hole, an old Dane, dressed in seal-skins, and possess¬ 
ing a small stock of English and a large stock of arti¬ 
cles to trade, pulled off to us with an Esquimaux crew, 
and, with little ceremony, clambered over the gang¬ 
way, Knorr met him, and, without any ceremony at 
all, demanded the news. 

“ Oh! dere’s plenty news.” 

“ Out with it, man ! What is it } ” 

“ Oh ! de Sout’ States dey go agin de Nort’ States, 
and dere’s plenty fight.” 

I heard the answer, and, wondering what strange 
complication of European politics had kindled another 
Continental w'ar, called this Polar Eumaeus to the 
quarterdeck. Had he any news from America ? 

“ Oh ! ’t is ’merica me speak ! De Sout’ States, you 
see! dey go agin de Nort’ States, you see! and 
dere’s plenty fight! ” 

Yes, I did see! but I did not jelieve that he told 
the truth, and awaited the letters which I knew must 
have come out with the Danish vessel, and which 
were immediately sent for to the Government House. 

This news appeared incredible and it was not till 
the explorers arrived at Halifax that they heard of the 
struggle that had been going on for months between 
the South and the North. Four days more brought 
them to Boston and then Hayes in the face of the 
duty which every man owes, in his own person, to his 
country when his country is in peril, could not hesi¬ 
tate. Before he had reached my cahin while his 
friends were yet in ignorance of his presence in the 
bay, he had resolved to postpone the execution of the 
task with which he had charged himself; and he 
closed as well the cruise as the project, by writing a 
letter to the President, asking for immediate employ¬ 
ment in the public service, and offering the schooner 
to the government for a gun-boat. 


DR. HA YES—1860 AND iS6g. 


81 


Not till 1869 was Dr. Hayes able to resume his 
task, and then he set out on the steam yacht Panther 
for the Land of Desolation, as he appropriately 
names Greenland. The first spot touched at was 
Julianshaab, on the arm of the sea, named Licsfiord. 
after its discoverer, Lik the Red, in the year 983. On 
these fiords the formation of the great glacier system 
of the country was examined. His impression of 
one of their rivers of ice is thus given: “Picture to 
yourself the rapids of Niagara frozen to their very 
depths, the falls, the river, the great Lake Erie every¬ 
where converted into ice, you, yourself, erect upon the 
rapids, and you will have, on a redicced scale, the sea 
of ice that lay before me.” The journey across it 
was dangerous, especially at first, owing to the 
numerous crevasses or cracks of unfathomable depth 
which crossed each other in every direction, but, the 
border once crossed, the road became easier. On all 
sides brooks meandered over the icy plain, often 
mingling and plunging downwards in torrents into 
some deep chasm as they found their way to the 
fiord. When they had again reached the ship, they 
were startled by a sharp, formidable explosion, and, 
to their wondering gaze, the projecting angle of the 


glacier was seen to be breaking up. At the lower end, 
a tower nearly two hundred feet high was wholly 
separated from it, then, as if the sea-bottom had col¬ 
lapsed beneath it, it sank little by little, and its pinna¬ 
cles disappeared in a whirlpool of foam and vapor. 

Continuing her course up Baffin Bay, the Panther 
met her first field of ice, a broad white and blue 
plain with a narrow pass through it, winding and 
curving till a barrier of ice blocked the way. “ Charge 
full steam on it,” the captain cried, and the Panther 
dashed into the mass, struck it as she quivered from 
stem to stern, then paused. She returned a hundred 
yards, then, with all steam up, rushed onward, then 
falls back, plunges and darts forward till a channel 
was opened and an expanse of water was reached. 
We need net describe the other incidents of the voy¬ 
age, which was not one of geographical discovery 
properly so called. In leaving the harbor of Uper- 
navik she had the courage to charge an iceberg. The 
men on deck were thrown off their feet, but she fell 
back uninjured ; six times were these ram-like blows 
repeated, and then the mountain of crystal split, and 
the two parts struck the sea, as they toppled over 
with a sound like thunder. 





GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 




CHAPTER VIII. 


JHE GERMAN EXPEDITION—1869-1870. 


The Germans, ,th,Q suggestion of the ancient 
geographer, Dr. Peterpiann, began to take an active 
’part in Arctic explorations, and, after an unsuccessful 
voyage in 1868, an expedition, consisting of two ships 
the Germa 7 tia ^nd the Hansa, was fitted out and 
placed under the comrnand of Captain Koldewey. 
On June 15, 1869, the two ,§hips sailed from Bremer- 
haven, sighted Jan Magep on July 9th, and on July 
19th, owing to a mistake in reading signals, the Hansa 
parted from her consort and sailed westward. Pro¬ 
gress now became difficult, the ship if not beset with 
^ice was unable to approach the land on account of 
the thick, compact floes. On August 25th she was 
.near Sabroe Island, only thirty-three miles distant, as 
,was learned afterward, from where her sister ship the 
perinania was lying, and on September 2d the block- 
.ade of the ship by ice began. We quote the words 
of the German report for the details ; 

“ As late as the 7th of September, the voyagers 
still flattered theipselyes that they might reach the 
coast. It was distant only five and thirty miles, and 
at noon, in clear weather, its outlines could be clearly 
traced. To the west of the ice-flelds (the HajisaXay 
to the east of it) was visible a wide area of open 
,water, frozen white vyith foarn,,YS'hich seemed to ex- 
,tend quite to the coast. A pedestrian excursion west¬ 
ward upon the ice-plain, following up its southern 
Boundary, would show us whethe.r the channel on 
.that side was navigable .throughout, and communi¬ 
cated with this open water. Marching through thick 
and frozen snow, we reached a huge block of ice, 
which we christened the Devil’s Thumb ; from its 
summit we could cprrimand an extensive prospect. 
.Seated astride of it we warmed ourselves with a little 
^of the liquor Bade had ij)een ^thoughtful enough to 
^bring with him. Two other e.nqrmous masses enclos¬ 
ing a narrow and picturesque passage were called the 
(Brandenburg Gate, 

“ We contrived to escalade one of these masses by 
^mounting on one another’s shoulders, and then cutting 
.steps in the pee with a knife. Hildebrandt made a 
sketch of the,little scene, -Unfortunately the canal 


we had seen proved too narrow for the vessel, and 
soon the ice in it and on the other side of the field set 
firmer together. 

“ On the following days the cold was very keen, 
sinking from 23° to 5°, and at last, on the 14th of Sep¬ 
tember, the Ha 7 tsa was completely blocked up by ice 
in Lat. 73° 25' 7" N., and Long. 18° 39' 5" W. The 
southwest drift aided by the wind, which blew con-^ 
tinuously from the north, carried the ship southward 
along with the ice ; and in this way we traversed thir¬ 
teen miles from the 12th to the 14th. 

“ On the 9th a great ice-floe closed up the channel 
by which the Ha 7 isa had entered, and we mad^ it fast 
with cables to protect ourselves from the floating 
masses. Some days later a north-northwest gale set 
the ice again in motion, and broke our hawsers. The 
ice accumulated behind the ship raising it a foot and 
a half. 

“ On a neighboring ‘ field ’ we caught sight of a she 
bear and her cub. A boat at once put off in pursuit. 
The two animals soon caught sight of us, and began 
to trot along the edge of the ice by the side of the 
boat—the mother grinding her teeth and licking her 
beard. We fired as soon as we could take a steady 
aim and the bear fell upon the snow mortally wounded. 
We repeatedly cast a noose over the young one, which 
continued to lick and caress her mother in the most 
affectionate manner; but each time she contrived to 
extricate herself, and at last she took to flight, groan¬ 
ing and crying. Though wounded by a musket-ball 
she succeeded in effecting her escape. 

“ On the evening of the same day (the 9th of Sep¬ 
tember, 1869), at 10 o’clock, some aurora gleams 
appeared in the west shooting towards the south. 
Radiant sheaves and phosphorescent bands mounted 
towards the zenith ; but the phantasmagoria quickly 
vanished. At the same time we heard the young 
bear howling dismally on the spot where it had lost 
its mother. The fresh bear meat proved most oppor¬ 
tune, and tasted excellent either as a roast joint or in 
chops. On the 12th, from the east, as before—leav¬ 
ing the land behind them—came another couple of 


THE GERMAN EXPEDITION—JS69-1870. 


bears. The old one met the same fate as the previous 
wanderer; the cub was caught and chained to the 
ice-anchor. Its alarm was great, but it eagerly 
devoured its mother’s flesh which we threw to it. We 
raised a snow-house for its accommodation, and pro¬ 
vided it with a couch of shavings, which, however, 
the young bear, like a true native of the Arctic seas, 
treated with contempt, and preferred camping in the 
snow. A few days later it disappeared, along with 
the chain, which must have become loosened from the 
anchor, and, no doubt, the poor creature perished. 
The weight of the iron itself was sufficient to 
sink it. 

" The Hansa was visited by other Arctic guests. 
With a brisk wind came a couple of snow-white foxes, 
a proof that the ice had formed a continuous bridge 
to the shore. With tails high in the air they trotted 
or galloped across the ice-fields like small craft sail¬ 
ing before the wind. One of them was shot by Mr. 
Hildebrandt, and the next day ‘ smoked upon the 
board.’ 

“ We thought first of wintering on the ice in the 
boats covered in with sails, but this sort of shelter 
would not have afforded a satisfactory guarantee for 
health and life. How would it defend us against the 
wind, the severe cold, the hurricanes of snow, with 
which we were certain to be assailed throughout the 
winter ? How could we have prepared in it that 
warm nourishment which is absolutely indispensable 
to existence during an Arctic winter } We returned 
to the idea of constructing a hut upon the ice-field, 
and without delay proceeded to build the house of 
coal which had already been proposed. Bricks made 
with coal are excellent material, because they absorb 
the moisture and reflect the warmth back into the 
interior. For mortar we used water and snow. For 
, ^ the roof we agreed to take, in case of a final estab- 
lishment on the ice through the loss of the ship, the 
covering which protected the deck of the Hansa from 
snow. As a preliminary precaution, however, we 
turned our attention to the preservation of our boats, 
and over these we erected sheds of frozen snow. 

“ On the Sth, after the works necessary for the con¬ 
struction of huts were completed, a storm of snow 
arose, which, if of earlier occurrence, would certainly 
have rendered them impossible, and in five days both 
house and ship were entirely buried. Such piles of 
snow were accumulated between the middle of the 
deck and the ship’s stern, that the sailors could with 
difficulty make their way t© their cabin. The new ice 
which surrounded the Hansa was so loaded with snow 
that it yielded under the weight, and fell away from 


83 

the sides of the ship, so that the sea-water penetrated 
between the ice and the snow. 

“On the 13th the storm subsided ; the weather 
again became calm and serene, and we found our¬ 
selves fifteen miles northeast of the Liverpool coast, 
which appeared like a rocky mountain, with shining 
ridges and precipitous walls thickly covered with 
snow. But in the valleys and gorges the snow lay in 
heavy masses. We could clearly distinguish the north 
point. Cape Gladstone, and Reynolds Islands, as well 
as a great part of the coast stretching southward 
until lost in the misty distance. 

“ From the 5th to the 14th of October the drift had 
been very great. In that period we had fallen back, 
as it were, seventy-two miles towards the south-south¬ 
east. 

“ We frequently saw flights of crows which seem 
to sojourn all the winter on this coast. Once only did 
we catch sight of a gull and a falcon. The narwhal 
also made known their presence in the ice-covered 
channel by their occasional ‘ blowing.’ 

“ On the morning of the 17th three of the crew, 
namely, Bowe, the carpenter, and the seamen Biitt- 
ner and Heyne, undertook, in the fine weather, to 
gain the land, which was only ten miles distant. They 
started at seven o’clock, the weather being very calm, 
and the temperature at zero. After crossing some 
dangerous places in the newly-formed ice, they arrived 
at some continuous fields which enabled them to ap¬ 
proach within four miles of the shore. After a three 
hours’ journey they were constrained to halt, because 
a belt of water, about two miles wide, parallel to the 
coast and skirting the ‘ ice-foot ’ or shore-ice, which 
was nearly of equal breadth, obstructed the route. 
About one o’clock, when snow had begun to fall, and 
the wind to blow from the north; they regained the 
ship: we were growing anxious for their safety, and 
welcomed them gladly on their return. 

“ October the i8th.—Three words will describe the 
state of the weather—cold, calm, and clear; but 
about eight o’clock in the morning the ice began to 
drive and press around the ship. At regular intervals 
underneath, the ice, like rolling waves, ground and 
cracked; now with a sound like the clang of doors, 
now like a contention of human voices, and now like 
the shrill creak of a drag on the wheel of a locomo- 
tiv'e. The obvious immediate cause of the pressure 
was that our field had turned in drifting, and had 
come into collision with the littoral ice. The two 
floes in front of the vessel received the chief momen¬ 
tum, so that for a time the Hansa was safe, though 
trembling violently, and though her masts swayed to 


84 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


and fro, like reeds in a wind. As the field under¬ 
went some long and dangerous fissures, the whale¬ 
boat seemed in danger; and we brought it, therefore, 
alongside the ship. Towards evening the weather 
o^eared, but our presentiment that this day was but a 
precursor of evil to come proved on the following day 
only too correct. We made our preparations, how¬ 
ever, for either event—that is, for wintering in the 
house in case the ship was destroyed ; or for remain¬ 
ing in the ship if she escaped. We completed the 
provisioning of the house, especially in bread and 
fuel. We collected the fur clothing and carried upon 
deck the remaining stores. In removing these we 
discovered a numerous colony of rats, which, finding 
themselves very well off, had not yet thought it neces¬ 
sary to abandon the vessel. By evening the pressure 
had ceased, and the air was calm, though foggy; a 
halo formed round the moon, which was then at its 
full, and illuminated with a pale and fitful light the 
mountains and plains of ice. In the cabin and in the 
crew’s lodging we amused ourselves by playing at 
cards. The catastrophe we feared was preceded on 
the morning of the 19th by a hurricane from the north- 
northwest, accompanied by a fall of snow, and much 
severe pressure from the ice. So thick was the air, 
we could not see the coast. The first heavy shock 
occurred at ten in the morning, but we felt no particu¬ 
lar alarm until noon, when the constantly approach¬ 
ing and heaped-up masses of ice, about four feet 
thick, had broken up on the starboard side of the 
vessel, and drove heavily against the outer side. The 
stern of the schooner rose slightly, and but for the 
high ice blocks would have risen higher; she had to 
bear, therefore, the entire pressure. But so far she 
was water-tight, as we found on trying the pumps. 
Shortly before one o’clock the deck seams amidship 
gave way. Then came an interval of quiet during 
which we took our midday meal on deck. Between 
decks it was very uncomfortable. Before long some 
massive blocks of ice forced themselves under the 
ship’s bow, and, though crushed by it, raised her up, 
slowly at first, and then more quickly, until it was 
fully seventeen feet out of its former position upon 
the ice, We sought to ease this movement as much 
as possible by shovelling away the ice and snow from 
the larboard side. A strange and awful, yet splendid 
spectacle, of which all the crew were witnesses from 
the ice, was this upward movement of the ship. With 
all due speed, the clothing and nautical instruments, 
journals and cards, were landed on the ice. Unfor¬ 
tunately the stern part of the ship would not 
rise, and the conviction was, therefore, forced 


upon us that the schooner must soon be rent in 
twain., 

"About five o’clock the pressure temporarily ceased, 
and the raised ice retreated ; so that, in the course of 
an hour, the ship, lying on her starboard side, glided 
into open water. The hawsers, which had been cast 
loose so as not to check her movements, were again 
made fast, after which we went to the pumps and 
found seventeen inches of water in the hold. All 
hands set to work, and about seven o’clock the ship 
seemed nearly clear, and we ventured to enjoy our 
evening meal. 

“ Alas ! in a quarter of an hour’s time the water 
had increased to two feet, and, in spite of all our ef¬ 
forts, continued steadily to increase. The position of 
the leak could not be ascertained by the most careful 
search; no sound of water could anywhere be heard ; 
and the conclusion was that some part of the ship’s 
bottom, under the coal, had been stove in. The fate 
of the Hansa, at all events, was sealed; the good 
ship was sinking! Our emotion was great, but we 
endeavored to face the melancholy fact with calmness. 
The house of coal on the drifting ice waste was des¬ 
tined to be, throughout the long and dreary Arctic 
winter, our sole asylum and, perhaps, our grave ! In 
such reflections, however, we had no time to indulge. 
Our work was steadily prosecuted. By nine in the 
evening the snow had ceased to fall; a clear starry 
heaven shone above us, and over the dreary ice-desert 
spread the calm lustre of a cloudless moon. Ever 
and anon the firmament glowed, and the scenery was 
lighted up by the ever-changing glories of the aurora. 

" It was now freezing sharply, with the thermome¬ 
ter at thirteen degrees below zero. One-half of 
the men were kept at the pumps; the others, 
until midnight, were occupied in removing from the 
doomed vessel the most necessary articles. ‘ As to 
sleep,’ says Dr. Buchholz, ‘ it was not to be thought 
of, for the idea of our terrible position whirled through 
my brain in the wildest manner. What would be¬ 
come of us when winter really set in, if its approach 
were heralded by such bitter cold ? In vain I at¬ 
tempted to think of any means of safety. It was use¬ 
less to dream of reaching land. It might, indeed, be 
possible to force our way through great dangers, and 
across the fields and floes, to the inhospitable coast; 
but, at the utmost, we could provide ourselves with 
only a few days’ food. Esquimaux settlements, from 
Scoresby’s experience, were not to be expected, so 
that death by hunger seemed not very far distant from 
us. We could do nothing, then, but endeavor to save 
ourselves in the coal hut on the southward drifting 


THE GERMAN EXPEDITION—186^1870. 


/ce-field ; and, if it held together, we might hope to 
reach a South Greenland Esquimaux settlement in the 
spring or (which was somewhat improbable) get 
across the icy belt to Iceland.’ One serious mishap 
attending the pumps was that the water poured out 
upon the deck could not run off through the scuppers 
because they were filled with ice; therefore, it froze 
between the provision chests. The whole after-deck 
was soon blocked up with ice; the water pumped up 
stood around the pumps, and the men who worked 
them stood in tubs to keep themselves dry. We made 
holes in the bulwarks to let it escape, but not with 
much advantage as, from the intense cold, the water 
came out in a semi-congealed condition. At the 
same time the ice settled so over the cabin skylight 
that the water oozed through its chinks. During the 
night our weary and exhausted men gained a few 
hours of refreshing sleep; then they all drained 
gladly a cup of coffee, and once more set to work. 
The catastrophe, however, was close at hand. At 
eight in the morning, the men who were busy in the 
forepeak getting out the wood came, with dismayed 
countenances, to announce that it was already floating 
below. Captain Hegemann, when convinced of the 
truth of this statement, ordered the pumps to be 
unshipped and the vessel, which was visibly sinking, 
to be abandoned. 

“ All hands were at once engaged to transport to 
the ice the various articles of utility collected on the 
deck—bedding, clothing, provisions, and fuel. In 
silence were all the heavy chests and barrels lifted 
over the hatchway. First the cook's heavy iron gal¬ 
ley, then two stoves were happily saved; these 
insured us a supply of warm nourishment, an endura¬ 
ble (if not a genial) temperature in our coal-hut, and 
some other advantages during our winter captivity. 
For fear of falling short of fuel, we laid our hands 
upon every loose piece of wood. Meantime the 
vessel was rapidly settling down; but we succeeded, 
nevertheless, in saving some objects which were incal¬ 
culably precious in our situation; a small medicine- 
chest, our lamps, books, cigars, boxes of games, and 
the like. But our work was far from ended. There, 
on the ice, everything lay in a heterogeneous heap. It 
was a complete chaos, in the midst of which some 
shivering rats struggled for life. For greater security 
we removed the whole baggage thirty yards farther 
across a crevasse. We had also to deal promptly 
with one of the seamen. Max Schmidt, who was ill 
with fever; we wrapped him up in furs, and carried 
him on a plank to the coal-hut. 

" At nine in the evening we were all gathered 


together in our new asylum, which, feebly lighted by 
a lamp, resembled a capacious vault. Satisfied with 
the labors of the day, though anxious about the future, 
we prepared our beds. Planks were laid upon the 
ground, and covered with sail-cloth; then each of us 
wrapped himself in his furs, and took his rest. One 
man remained on guard to keep watch over the stove, 
which constantly raised the temperature of our cham¬ 
ber from 2° to 27 F. Our couch was exceedingly 
hard and decidedly cold ; but we were so exhausted 
and weary that we quickly fell asleep. 

“ In the morning we hastened to the ship to see 
what more could be saved. But the coal-hole was 
already under water. We cut down the masts, and, 
with their rigging, dragged them over the ice; a task 
which occupied us the whole day. The mizzen fell at 
eleven o’clock ; at three, it was the turn of the main¬ 
mast ; and the Hansa presented the appearance of a 
miserable wreck. 

“ For the last time the captain and steersman went 
on deck, and about six o’clock loosed the cables, which, 
by means of the anchor, still moored the ship to our 
ice-floe, for there was reason to fear lest the latter, 
which bore nearly all the treasure we had saved with 
so much difficulty might break up when the ship sank. 

“ The poor battered carcass of the Hansa disap¬ 
peared in the night of the 21st, in Lat. 70° 52' N. and 
Long. 21° W., about a German mile and a half from 
the Liverpool coast. We could distinctly trace its 
cliffs and mountains, which, according to Dr. Laube, 
closely resembled the chalk-hills of Munich; we 
could distinguish Glasgow Island and Holloway Bay ; 
but there was no means of opening a road across the 
labyrinth of floating ice. The largest of our three 
boats was lying loose on the deck of the Hansa, when 
she went down, and accordingly floated. The weather 
being very favorable we were able to haul up on the 
ice, near the hut, this third hope of safety. 

“ The following days were occupied in making our¬ 
selves as comfortable as possible in our black-looking 
hut. Owing to the comparatively high temperature 
in its interior, the sail-cloth roof permitted the water 
to trickle through the snow which covered it, so that 
we passed a very bad night. We remedied this in¬ 
convenience by substituting a roof of planks, covered 
with sails. To provide for light and ventilation, we 
inserted a couple of windows in the roof ; but, in spite 
of this provision, were unable to dispense with the 
lamp the greater part of the day. Along the entire 
length of both sides of the room, we raised a tier of 
boards about six inches above the ground, and laid 
our matresses upon it. To prevent the pillows from 



86 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


freezing to the wall, we lined it, where necessary, with 
double planking. The cooking stove was placed be¬ 
hind ; the smaller one in front. Along the walls, 
which were hung with sail-cloth, shelves were placed, 
and on these we disposed our books, instruments, and 
cooking utensils. The ship’s chests, planted in front 
of the bed-floor, served for table and seats. The 
gilded looking-glass from our old cabin adorned and 
brightened the interior of our new one ; underneath it 
hung a splendid barometer; and the ticking of the 
clock cheered us with its accustomed sound. By all 
these little arrangements, our residence in the coal- 
hut was rendered comparatively endurable. A good 
night’s sleep recruited our weary frames; and, 
thanks to our capital preserved meats, we gained 
fresh strength from the marvellous soups and stews 
prepared by our cook. 

“We were no longer threatened by any imminent 
danger, so our melancholy gave way a little, and it 
was even with jests and laughter that we recalled 
some of the humorous scenes of the 19th. In the 
evening we resumed our whist club, playing on a vol¬ 
ume of the ship’s journal, as we had no table. The 
greater portion of our supplies of fuel and provisions, 
as well as the boats, lay still upon the ice in the neigh¬ 
borhood of the scene of disaster. The work of trans¬ 
porting it was accomplished chiefly by means of the 
sledges, and occupied several days. For the time we 
piled it all up beside the house. As the layer of snow 
outside rose as high as the walls, we dug around the 
hut a trench four feet wide, which we covered with an 
awning of sail-cloth, increasing the protection it 
afforded by a roof of snow. This kind of corridor 
furnished a convenient place for stowing away our 
provisions, and there we deposited the greater por¬ 
tion. The remainder, which would serve for about 
two months, was carefully deposited in the boats. 
The small quantity of fuel procured by cutting up the 
masts and yards we threw together in a heap. Some¬ 
times the boats were stationed in one place, some¬ 
times in another; we extricated them at intervals 
from the snow, and transported them to some more 
sheltered locality. 

“ We put up the ship’s hatchway before the 
door of the hut, to catch the wind. A man- 
rope helped us to descend into our ‘ fox’s hole,’ 
the roof of which scarcely rose above the level of 
the snow. 

“We had saved the large flag, and on a snow-hill 
at the rear of the house we raised the top-gallant 
mast as a flagstaff. In fine weather we hoisted the 
flag, partly for our amusement and partly in the for¬ 


lorn hope of attracting the attention of any Esqui* 
maux settlement on the coast. 

“ At last we succeeded in introducing order into 
our chaos. The confused heap of individual belong¬ 
ings was portioned out among its v^arious owners. 
The warming arrangement was excellent, for though 
the temperature of the external atmosphere had sunk 
to 13° F., the thermometer inside the hut marked 70® 
30'. Often the fuel necessary for preparing our meals 
proved sufficient also for heating purposes; and, in 
order to spare the wood, we seldom used the second 
stove. The damp was remarkably diminished, for it 
escaped easily through the dormer-window, which 
also admitted a supply of fresh air. 

“ Slowly but uninterruptedly our ice-field drifted 
southward. We skirted the Liverpool coast as far 
Scoresby Sound, sometimes approaching, sometimes 
receding from the ice with a uniformity of movement 
which was probably due to flux and reflux in that 
large deep sound. We could perfectly distinguish 
the outline of the coast bristling with rocks, and in 
two valleys, lying between abrupt precipitous moun¬ 
tains. We fancied we saw huge glaciers covered with 
snow. 

“ We often contemplated with melancholy feelings 
the spot where the Hansa went down. Now there 
was space enough for her between the ice-fields and 
the land-ice. 

“ At the end of October the sun rose at half-past 
nine, and about three o’clock sank behind the rocky 
coast. In the hut we had but a few hours of daylight 
for reading and writing. 

“We endeavored, by every possible means, to main¬ 
tain a constant activity. We skated ; we made snow 
images. The order of the day’s proceedings was 
always observed to the letter. 

“ The last night-watch woke us at seven. We rose, 
dressed ourselves in our woollen clothing, washed in 
melted snow, and took our morning’s coffee with a 
ration of hard bread. Then we betook ourselves to 
our various avocations. Some acted as cabinet¬ 
makers and carpenters ; some plied the useful needle, 
some chopped wood; others kept the daily registers. 
If the weather were clear we took our astronomical 
observations and recorded all useful and necessary 
calculations. At one o’clock, dinner. Strong meat 
soup was the piece de resistance at this meal; and as 
we had an abundance of preserved vegetables, our 
cook had every opportunity of displaying his fertility 
of resource. We were careful to eat but little of salt 
meat or bacon. Nor did we venture to indulge in 
alcoholic liquors—confining ourselves to one drink of 


THE GERMAN EXPEDITION—iSdg-iSjo. 


87 


good port-wine on Sundays. Throughout the winter, 
owing to these precautions, our health was good. 
We had no case of sickness or of physical discomfort, 
except the sailor Schmidt’s attack of fever when the 
ship went down; and a frost-bitten toe of the sailor 
Buttner. We were always on the alert, and dissen¬ 
sion was prevented by the maintenance of a strict 
discipline. 

“ By degrees we completed a thorough exploration 
of our floe. We made short tours, and cut roads in 
every direction. We ascertained that it measured 
about seven nautical miles in circumference while its 
average diameter was two miles. The landscape 
surrounding us was dreary from its monotony. It 
presented a uniform plain, or field covered with 
frozen, glittering snow. 

“ The term ' field ’ we may here explain signifies a 
vast and continuous floating mass of ice. Smaller 
pieces are called ‘ floes ’ and still smaller ones 
« drifts.’ Now the ice-raft, on which, as Dr. Laube 
happily remarked, ‘ we were as the Lord’s passen¬ 
gers,’ was a solid field, fully forty-five feet thick—five 
feet above and forty feet below the water level—com¬ 
posed of drifts and floes frozen into a hard, compact 
mass. 

“ By the beginning of January, the accumulated 
snow, often eight feet in height, had filled up every 
fissure and crevasse in the dreary, far-spreading 
plain ; so that the eye wandered dissatisfied, without 
finding a solitary resting point, over the wearisomely 
blank waste of whiteness! When at any distance 
from the hut, it lay so deeply embedded in the snow 
that we could distinguish nothing but the dark spot 
or line of the chimney, the boats, and the flagstaff, 
with its fluttering banner—a sign of civilization, 
which was duly unfurled after every passing whirl¬ 
wind. Later in the sp.ring, when the process of 
liquefaction and disruption had greatly reduced the 
size of our raft, it appeared, owing to the heaped-up 
blocks of ice and snow-wall, almost like ‘ animated 
blocks of ice.’ On examining them more closely, 
these ‘ ramparts ’ were found to be the pushed-up 
walls of small ice-masses to which our field had 
been knitted by the frost. At intervals rose mounds 
of snow, which the change from thawing weather to 
frost had almost converted into glaciers, into a solid 
and homogeneous whole. 

“ The western and northwestern borders of our 
field were dreary in the extreme. The collision and 
almost constant friction of the driving ice floes had 
raised up walls ten feet in height, embellished with 
snow crystals, which radiated in the sun like innumer¬ 


able diamonds. In the auroral displays at morn and 
eve, the white flakes turned to pale green. A beautiful 
radiance pervaded the night, for moonlight poured 
fully and freely from the unclouded heavens; and so 
strong and keen was the reflection from the snow- 
mirror, that it was very easy to read the minutest 
handwriting, and to discern remote objects. 

“ Nights such as these, moreover, were always 
illuminated by the glories of the aurora borealis. For 
example, on the 5th of December it shone with a 
splendor so intense as to pale the starlight, and shad- 
dows streamed across our monotonous ice-field. The 
coast, according to its varying distance, was distin¬ 
guishable as a dark, vague streak, or in all the details 
of its rocky configuration.” 

Amid the solitary scene of sea and ice Christmas 
and New Year’s Day was kept devoutly, but on Janu¬ 
ary nth a terrible storm made them fear that their 
end had come. For five days they slept in the boats, 
while they rebuilt the huts on shore, and then for 
dreary week after week the ice-raft drifted onward. 
Easter Day, April 17th, was celebrated in Nukarlik 
Bay, and May 7th, open water in the direction of land 
was seen, and Captain Hegemann resolved to take to 
his boats. He distributed his company among the 
three boats, and hoisted sail about 4 o’clock p. M. with 
loud cheers and hurrahs. We again quote the Ger¬ 
man narrative: 

“ We kept under sail till nine o’clock moving slowly 
at first, but more quickly when we got the boats into 
trim, so that when we made fast to a floe for the 
night we were nearer the shore by seven miles. 

“ We underwent considerable trial in climbing upon 
the floe. After having found a convenient place, the 
boats were unloaded, and hauled up one by one. 

“ The provisions and fuel of each boat were piled 
beside it, and covered with oiled sail-cloth ; then, by 
way of a roof, we covered the larger of the two small 
boats with the sails of the other, and thus provided 
an imperfect defence in case of bad weather. 

“ These arrangements occupied us for some hours. 
We supped upon bread and coffee, which the men 
prepared in the boats with the spirit of wine lamp. 

“ It was half an hour past midnight when we 
wrapped ourselves in our furs and laid down to rest. 
Our sleep was not very long ; at half-past five we re¬ 
sumed our voyage. 

“ Steering towards the west, we arrived within four 
miles of the shore. But about noon the ice became 
so compact that we were again compelled to make 
fast to a floe. 

“ Until five in the afternoon we remained ensconced 


88 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


in our boats, on this mass of ice which was slowly 
drifting southwards. The sun cheered us with its 
rays ; but it had the inconvenience of producing that 
peculiar effect on the sight which is due to long 
gazing on the snow. The eyes of the lookout men, 
incessantly turned to windward to make out some 
navigable channel, could no longer bear the dazzling 
splendor of the sunshine-flooded plains of ice. At 
first they were sensible of a painful weariness; then 
an inflamation of the eyes came on, which caused an 
agonizing pain; they shed tears abundantly; their 
minds wandered. All they could do, however, was to 
endure patiently while protecting themselves from the 
action of the light with a thick bandage. The attack 
did not last above a day and a half or two days, but 
it was necessary to guard against its return. The 
disease, moreover, has many stages. Some of us suf¬ 
fered severely and suffered often; others escaped 
with only a slight feeling of fatigued vision. Later 
on, we attempted to preserve our eyes by construct¬ 
ing spectacles out of the green-colored lenses of the 
instruments of refraction, and by means of this ingen¬ 
ious device, each person was provided with what is 
an indispensable article in the equipment of an Arctic 
voyager. 

“ Pressing forward under canvas, we made our way 
through the thick floating ice until within about a 
mile and a half of the promised land. Then our 
course was suddenly checked by the solid heaped-up 
masses before us, which formed an apparently insur¬ 
mountable barrier. The painful work of hauling the 
boats had exhausted our strength, and after a ration 
of bread, with a little coffee, we fell exhausted into a 
deep lethargic slumber. Bad weather, snow, and 
tempests detained us for six days upon the ice-floe. 
The temperature varied from 36^° F. by day to 21 
F. by night. On the loth of May, in the afternoon, we 
enjoyed our customary game of whist in the whale-boat. 

“ The sail of the large boat, which served as a roof 
during the night, did not protect us very sufficiently 
from the damp, on account of its comparative tenuity 
and its transparency; and the rain which soon came 
on, and fell uninterruptedly for twenty-four hours, 
sprinkled us as abundantly as if we had been exposed 
to a shower-bath. The two other boats were better 
off in this respect, for they had capital coverings of 
oiled canvas. 

“ On the 14th the bad weather cleared off and, the 
ice giving way toward the south, we dipped our oars 
and accomplished a slight traject; but the ice closing 
in again, we found ourselves condemned to another 
captivity on the floe. It lasted five days. 


“ On the 19th May the storm ceased, and on the 
2 1 St, in the afternoon, the weather cleared. The cap¬ 
tain and Mr. Hildebrandt then undertook an excur¬ 
sion towards the land. They found the ice ill adapted 
to their project, many floes being intersected by wide 
crevasses, the ice being piled up in enormous blocks, 
and few of the fields exceeding one hundred paces 
in length. It appeared to us impossible to haul the 
boats through such a labyrinth ; and we resolved to 
await the effect of the spring-tides, which would flow 
in a few days. 

“ The time seemed to us dreadfully long. Some ol 
the men amused themselves with carving, and we 
ourselves undertook to fashion the pieces for a game 
of chess. Bade made a king, in full regal attire and 
crowned. Others undertook more useful tasks and 
wove some lines eighty fathoms long, in the hope of 
catching a few fish to vary our scanty bill of fare. 

“ The weather on the 24th of May was splendid. 
The sun shone in a cloudless sky, and the thermome¬ 
ter, when exposed to its rays, marked 25® F. We 
gladly availed ourselves of such an opportunity of 
thoroughly drying our clothes and linen, which had 
long been in a wretchedly damp condition. The 
boats were uncovered, and smoked bravely in the 
hot sunlight. Everybody was on the alert. Mr. 
Bade, accompanied by some of the men, went hunting 
for a dinner. An unsuccessful hunt! The seals would 
not show, the fish would not bite, and the silly divers 
were wise enough to keep out of the range of shot. 
Mr. Hildebrandt, with the sailors Philip and Paul, suc¬ 
ceeded, however, in reaching the island of Illuidlek, 
which lay three miles distant, with an elevation of 
from 140 to 150 yards. They landed at one, and 
were back with us by four o’clock. 

“ This rocky island-desert measures about ten 
nautical miles in circumference. Our men landed on 
the northeast side, at a spot from which, in boats, it 
would be easy to reach the south coast, where we 
might expect to be sheltered from the wind and the 
ice-drift. There was also a chance of adding to 
our provision store by hunting sea-birds. 

“ Such was Mr. Hildebrandt’s report, and it con¬ 
firmed us in our resolve to make for the island. As 
the heat of the sun was fatiguing, and the glare of 
the snow blinding, we agreed to travel by night and 
rest by day; and we calculated that the journey 
might be accomplished in eight days. 

“ On the first night we succeeded in advancing five 
hundred and thirty paces. Then we enjoyed the 
day’s rest, and at seven in the evening resumed our 
painful toil. That night we made seven hunorea 


THE GERMAN EXPEDITION—1S69-1S70. 


89 


paces. The 27th was Konrad’s birthday; and to 
keep up the spirits of the men, we served out to each 
a glass of sherry. The work increased in difficulty 
as we advanced. First the boats had to be emptied 
and dragged to the spot where we purposed to rest 
for the day. Then we had to return across the 
broken ice to fetch our stores; and loaded with these, 
to regain the boats. As each person’s burden was 
one hundred to one hundred and five pounds, the 
labor we underwent is more easily imagined than 
described. But it is useless to dwell on details; 
suffice it to say that on the 4th of June we succeeded 
in landing in Illuidlek, and we felt we had cause for 
gratitude to an all-merciful Providence. 

This small island stretches off southeast to north¬ 
west. On the northwest a steep, dome-shaped emi¬ 
nence, and in the southeast a sloping mountain, are 
surrounded by clusters of barren and rugged cliffs. 
From a small island, Ivimuit, lying in front of it, and 
from Cape Discord on the mainland, it is separated 
by a small channel. On the side which faces the 
mainland extends the formidable barrier of a long 
chain of rocks, beyond which lies a low island ; prob¬ 
ably that which, in Graah’s map, is named Omenar- 
suk. These rocks are of the most fantastic outline, 
and entirely devoid of vegetation. A couple of soli¬ 
tary gulls, perched in a crevice of the rock, regarded 
our arrival with curious eyes; while a legion of guille¬ 
mots screamed and fluttered in the open waters of 
the pass. 

“ We were between the southeast shore of the 
island. Cape Discord and the little island of Ivimuit, 
Towards ten o’clock we entered a bay sheltered by 
high cliffs from the north; we christened it Hansa 
Haven (or Hansa Harbor). There we designed to 
pass the night, and with this view, had already carried 
ashore our stores; but the tide falling, our boats 
grounded, and therefore about midnight, we left the 
bay and made fast to a piece of ice lying close in shore. 
It was now exactly four weeks since we had left the 
floe in the hope of gaining the mainland in a few days. 

“ On Whitsunday the weather was beautiful, and 
Bade took the small boat and went hunting. The 
spoils he brought back were scanty ; consisting only 
of twenty-two divers, the flesh of which, however, 
prepared as a stew, furnished us with a couple of capi¬ 
tal dinners. Our provisions were now reduced to a 
fortnight’s supply. 

" The hunters had wandered into the higher grounds, 
and had discovered along the coast, in a southerly 
direction, a narrow strip of water. They found them¬ 
selves in the midst of bare rocks, the more sterile as 


they were more elevated, and bearing only a few 
mosses and some creeping willows. No trace of man 
was discernible. Illuidlek, where Graah had found a 
small native population, seemed to have been long 
uninhabited. 

“ On Whit-Monday, the 6th of June, we resumed 
our enterprise. Our destination was Friedricksthal 
the nearest settlement on the southwest coast of Green¬ 
land. However, we hoped to encounter, long before 
reaching that far-off point, some fishing party of 
Esquimaux in search of seals. We painfully followed 
up the Kangerdleck fiord, sometimes pushing and 
sometimes swimming; then with oars and sail we 
made head against a violent southwest wind from six 
o’clock when the ice had become more broken up 
until eleven at night. 

“ Omenarsuk Island rises scarcely one hundred and 
thirty feet above the sea, and yet on the north side is 
found a spot, only a few square yards, covered with 
fresh-water ice, which has all the appearance of a 
diminutive glacier. From its situation it cannot be 
an isolated block of ice detached from the heights, 
but rather a .patch of fresh water ice, caused by the 
melting of the snows, which would be frozen in the 
ravines of the island. This formation of land-ice is 
so small a quantity, in the very neighborhood of those 
mighty ice-currents, appeared to us an interesting 
phenomenon, 

“ A mile from the headland of this strait, which we 
named Cape Pentecost, we hauled up our boats on the 
firm and even ice-coast. 

“On the 7th of June, the weather was all that could 
be desired. We proceeded very pleasantly under sail, 
enjoying the rays of the sun, along a precipitous 
coast, and doubled Cape Pentecost, which raises aloft 
into the air its rocky crest. Gloomy and wild was 
the aspect of the shore. The dark-colored rocks 
were relieved by narrow streaks of snow which de¬ 
scended them about half-way down ; and sometimes 
also we remarked the green tint of a few wretched 
mosses creeping over the hard surface. At noon we 
encamped on a small island—Kutch of Graah’s map* 
In the hollow of its rocks we found some fresh limpid 
water, excellent for culinary purposes, and of which 
we drank heartily a delicious draught. The rocky 
shores of Kutch must have been frequently in collis¬ 
ion with the ice-masses descending from the north, 
and, indeed, in many places they had been plainly 
worn down and levelled. On these rocks, which were 
covered at high water, we saw the shining fragments 
of floes which had been driven against them and shat¬ 
tered in pieces. 


90 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


“ In the evening we hauled up our boats for the 
first time on the rocks of the Greenland Continent, 
about five miles to the north of Cape Valloe. And, 
as there we were safe from all contact with the ice, 
we gave ourselves up to complete repose. At day¬ 
break, the light of a glowing sun revealed the scanty 
vegetation of the soil. There were sorrel, dandelion, 
and conquefoil, which we sought for eagerly in the 
hollows and crevices of the rocky ground. With the 
help of a little pickle, we improvised a salad, to eat 
with the remains of our divers. 

“ Again we set sail, and by the evening had tra¬ 
versed twenty miles. This time our encampment was 
made on the south point of Greenland (Lat. 6o° 34' N.) 
in front of the fiord of Lindenow. 

“ On the following day we doubled Cape Hridt- 
feldt, which rises in the form of a majestic pyramid to 
the height of several thousand feet. Before it lay a 
group of rocks, at one of which we checked our course, 
in order to find the best channel. 

“ The color of the mountains from this point con¬ 
trasted absolutely with those we had hitherto seen. 
They looked like melted copper. The intensely blue 
atmosphere in which they raise their magnificent 
forms, enhances the richness of the hues of this pic¬ 
turesque coast. 

“ The rocks lying almost immediately under the 
cape are wasted, perfectly round, and may be com¬ 
pared to gigantic ramparts, polished and smooth on 
every side. The sea and the ice have done their work. 
These dome-shaped rocks and rocky cupolas continued 


visible along the whole line of coast; thousands in 
number, forming a complete bulwark of stone, and 
serving to defend the land against the encroachment 
of the ice. 

“ But as we continued our voyage we were greeted 
by shores of a brighter aspect. To the north of the 
promontory of Igalalik we perceived at a great dis¬ 
tance, some ‘ spots of greenery ’ covered with a short, 
crisp herbage.” 

They were now not far from Friedricksthal, the 
seat of a Moravian mission, and they arrived at that 
Danish settlement on July 13th, 1870. They touched 
at Copenhagen September ist, and finally reached 
Schleswig September 3d. 

The adventures of the sister ship Germania, after 
the seperation of the two vessels, need not be re¬ 
counted. It is the usual record of Arctic life, of a 
dreary winter, and of the return of the sun. In March, 
1870, a sledging party was sent out, which, on the 
15th, crossed the 77th degree of latitude. The obser¬ 
vations made by Lieut. Pager led him to disbelieve in 
the existence of an open Arctic sea. They had ob¬ 
tained the most northern point ever reached in East 
Greenland, and saw proof that the most recent geo¬ 
logical formations occur in the remote north; they had 
discovered Kaiser Josef Fjord with its immense glaciers 
and behind it the towering peak of Mount Petermann. 
Then they turned their prow homeward, and landed 
at Bremerhaven, September iith, 1870, convinced 
that it was impossible to reach the North Pole from 
the basis of East Greenland. 



AMATEUR DOG-DRIVERS. 















WRECK OF THE AMERICAN WHALER “McLELLEN/’ ON THE BOWS OF THE ENGLISH 























































































































































92 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE “POLARIS” EXPEDITION. 



ceeded on the expedition in which 
he lost his life, can hardly fail to in¬ 
terest the reader. 

It was in- i860 that he first vis¬ 
ited the Polar Regions; though 
from boyhood they had been the 
subject of his dreams and the 
goal of his desires. On this oc¬ 
casion by means of dog-sledges 
and an “old, rotten, leaky, and 
ice-beaten boat,” which he ob¬ 
tained from a whaler, he made a 
careful and complete examination 
of the shores of Forbisher Bay 
and Countess of Warwick Land; 
discovering numerous memorials 
of the visit of Martin Forbisher 
and proving that the inlet named 
by that old seaman a strait, and 
designated as such on the maps for 
two hundred and eighty-four years, 
was really a bay. He brought 
back with him to the United States 
two of the Esquimaux, Edierbing 
and Tookoolito — who figure in 
the Polaris expedition as Joe and 
Hannah. These had previously 
visited England — in 1853 — and 
had acquired many of the habits 
of civilization. The woman could 
read a little, and spoke English 
well enough to act as interpreter. 
Joe was a good pilot, and could 
also speak some English. 

His explorations among the Es¬ 
quimaux—or Innuits, as they pre¬ 
fer to call themselves — convinced 
him that they knew the secret of Sir John Frank¬ 
lin’s fate; and that it was only to be learned by liv¬ 
ing among them long enough to acquire their confi¬ 
dence. 


CHARLES FRANCIS HALL. 

One of the most indefatigable of recent Arctic 
explorers was the American navigator, Charles 
Francis Hall; and a brief sketch of his career, before 
he undertook the command of the Polaris, and pro- 












THE POLARIS EXPEDITION. 


93 


All his energies were therefore addressed to the 
task of raising the funds for a suitable expedition ; and 
he was so far successful that, in the summer of 1864, 
he was enabled to take his passage for Repulse Bay, 
along with Joe and Hannah, on board the bark 
Monticello. They were landed on Depot Island 
August 21 St. Thenceforward he pursued his investi¬ 
gations among the Innuits with indefatigable energy, 
and ascertained from evidence furnished by the 
natives that one of Franklin’s vessels had actually 
accom.plished the North West Passage while five of 


her crew were still on "board; further, that when, 
abandoned by the crew, she was found by the Esqui¬ 
maux, in the spring of 1849, near O’Reilly Island, lat. 
68® 30' N. and long. 99® 8' W. imprisoned in the ice. 

Captain Hall, in his published narrative, informs us 
that the bones of Franklin’s gallant but unfortunate 
followers were scattered over the snowy wastes of 
King William Land. The Esquimaux of that region are 
a more churlish and savage race than those of Re¬ 
pulse Bay; and instead of rendering the lost explorers 
the little assistance that would certainly have saved 


their lives, they gladly saw them perish and plundered 
them of every article on which they could lay their 
hands. Captain Hall, however, seems to us to place 
too implicit a reliance on the statements of the 
natives; and we see no grounds for believing that 
some of Franklin’s men had been reduced to acts of 
cannibalism. He collected some hundred and fifty 
relics of the expedition, in the shape of articles which 
had belonged either to the ships or their officers. 

At various times, during his long absence from the 
United States, he sent home notes of his progress and 


experiences through the captains of the whaling ves¬ 
sels he fell in with. In 1865 he had learned that 
Captain Crozier, of the Terror, with Parr)-, Lyon, and 
one other whose name he could not obtain, had sur¬ 
vived their companions, who yielded without any very 
protracted struggle to the effects of cold and starv'a- 
tion. One Innuit had taken pity on a wanderer, and 
sheltered and fed him until he died. It would appear 
that Crozier and a companion were living so late as 
the autumn of 1864. The natives affirmed that the 
white men had fought with an Indian tribe near the 








































94 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


estuary of the Great Fish River, and that many of the 
latter were slain; that, afterwards. Captain Crozier 
and two companions had started in a southwesterly 
direction for Fort Churchill, or York Factory, and 
that at that time they were supplied with food and 
with either skin or India-rubber boats. 

In 1866 Captain Hall wintered on Repulse Bay, and 
in the course of the winter accomplished a six weeks’ 
journey with dog-sledges to the northwest, in order 
to purchase dogs for the work of the next season. On 
this journey he was accompanied by five white men, 
volunteers from whalers lying on Repulse Bay, his 
Esquimaux followers, Joe and Hannah,and about thirty 
dogs. They met with some rough experiences, and 
■endured very considerable hardships; but succeeded 
in purchasing no fewer than forty dogs. Hall was 
told by the natives that some of the white men had 
been among them and that one had died and was 
carefully buried. 

On his return to Repulse Bay, the indefatigable ex¬ 
plorer declared his conviction that some of Franklin’s 
party were still alive, and offered five hundred dollars 
in gold to each white man who would accompany 
him in a further search during the season 1867-68. 
Five seamen from the whaling ships again volun¬ 
teered ; and after employing a couple of months in the 
chase, so as to lay in a sufficient stock of provisions 
the little company started on a journey which finally 
convinced even Hall himself that his sanguine antici¬ 
pations were groundless. Abandoning, therefore, all 
hope of rescuing the unfortunate men, who had 
undoubtedly perished two or three years before, he 
returned to the United States, his sanguine mind in¬ 
tent on a new object—the discovery of the North 
Pole. 

Hall was well adapted for his self-imposed work. 
He was a well-proportioned, powerfully built man, 
muscular rather than stout, and measuring about five 
feet eight inches in height. His powers of observa¬ 
tion were considerable, as is shown in his descrip¬ 
tions of Esquimaux life and manners; he was energetic, 
persevering, courageous ; but he was unable to com¬ 
mand men, and the failure of the Polar expedition, 
which we are about to relate, was undoubtedly due 
to his want of firmness and decision as a leader. 
Moreover, in his all-absorbing desire to carry out his 
project, he was apt to lose sight of the difficulties that 
lay in the way of their realization, to conceal them 
from himself and others. 

These qualities, however, stood him in good 
stead while he was engaged in securing the sup¬ 
port of the Government and the people of the United 


States for his contemplated expedition. None but a 
man of buoyant temperament could have endured the 
labor which its preparation entailed upon him. He 
succeeded, however, in enlisting the public sympathy 
on his side, and Congress then voted a grant of fifty 
thousand dollars to defray his expenses. 

So in due time the Polaris was fitted out, officers 
and men were engaged—though, unfortunately, with¬ 
out sufficient inquiry or discrimination, and Hall, after 
the American manner, was presented with a flag 
which De Haven, and Dr. Kane, and Dr. Hayes, had 
successfully carried nearer and nearer to the coveted 
terminus of discovery. Hall, in accepting it, declared 
his belief that this flag, in the spring of 1872, “would 
float over a New World in which the North Pole Star 
is the crowning jewel,” and the Polaris sailed from 
New London at 4 p. M., on the 3d of July. Her com¬ 
mander was accompanied by Dr. Emil Bessel, as 
chief of the scientific corps ; by Mr. Meyers, as meteo¬ 
rologist ; R. W. D. Bryan, astronomer and chaplain; 
Sidney O. Buddington, sailingmaster; Emil Shuman, 
chief engineer; Hubbard C. Chester, first mate, and 
William Morton, second mate. The last named, as 
the reader will remember, figures prominently in the 
record of Dr, Kane’s expedition. It was he who 
crossed the great Humboldt Glacier, and, looking 
forth upon a channel, afterwards visited by the Polaris, 
made the mistake of supposing that he had discovered 
the open Polar Sea. 

Touching at Holsteinberg, one of the Greenland 
settlements. Hall fell in with a Swedish exploring ex¬ 
pedition under Captain Van Otter, which had got no 
farther than Upernavik, and was then homeward 
bound. 

On the 4th of Augpist the Polaris entered Godhaven 
where it took on board a supply of coats and other 
stores. While lying in this sheltered port, she was 
joined by Captain Tyson, a man of considerable Arctic 
experience, as Assistant Navigator. 

Upernavik was reached on the i8th ; and here the 
services of Hans, the well-known Esquimau hunter, 
were secured. 

Captain Hall appears to have had very decided pre¬ 
monitions of disaster, from the fact that he left here in 
charge of Inspector Smith, a quantity of valuable 
papers relating to his second expedition, and particu¬ 
larly to his search for Sir John Franklin; an extra¬ 
ordinary step to take under the circumstances, as his 
object in carrying them with him was to write them 
up for publication on his return. Why Captain Hall 
so carefully avoided allusion to the dissensions which 
had already taken place on board the Polaris can be 


THE POLARIS EXPEDITION. 


95 


explained only by his sanguineness of temperament, 
which induced him to overlook all impediments and dis¬ 
agreeable incidents in the overmastering desire to push 
onward to the far North. There was nothing which 
he dreaded so much as the delay or abandonment of 
the expedition. To give up was an impossibility ; but 
he could willingly die if his object was achieved, or 
in achieving it. 

On the 2 1 St of August the expedition left Uper- 
navik, and on the 24th sailed from Tossar. Soon 
afterwards they entered Smith Sound, and through ice¬ 
bergs and ice-floes steamed past Port Foulke, the 
scene of Dr. Hayes’s adventures. 

On the 27th they reached the point where Kane, in 
1855, abandoned the Advance. Still they steamed on¬ 
ward, and onward, sailing round obstructing ice, and 
making their way with so much rapidity, that, on the 
28th they gained lat. 81° 35' N., and afterwards 
entered Kane’s “ open sea,” which proved to be a 
land-locked bay, now named in the charts after the 
Polaris. It proved to be about forty-five miles wide, 
with high land on each side. 

Still sailing on, they found themselves in a channel 
similar to Kennedy’s, which was much obstructed by 
heavy ice. The prospect now began to grow gloomy, 
and some of the faint hearts on board would fain have 
been content with the discoveries already made. 
Hall and Tyson and Chester were anxious to go for¬ 
ward without delay, as the channel still lay open to 
the northeast; but having arrived in lat. 82° 16', they 
so far compromised with Buddington and his party 
as to agree to lay up for the winter. On the 7th of 
September, therefore, the Polaris steamed in nearer 
the land; and, in lat. 81° 38' was successfully carried 
into a tolerably sheltered cove, about twelve miles 
long and nine miles wide, which Hall appropriately 
named “ Thank God Harbor.” 

The coast hills here attained an elevation of from 
900 to 1,300 feet: and the great scars and fissures in 
the rocks looked as if wind and weather, frost and ice, 
and sudden changes of temperature, had done their 
worst with them. At their base lay a great quantity 
of debris; stones and sand and rocky boulders, which 
had been disintegrated and broken up by the frost. 
To the South, a great glacier came down from the 
heights, and sweeping round in a wide circuit, fell into 
the bay northward of the Polaris. At various points 
traces of an Esquimaux settlement were discernible : 
the circles of stones showing where tents had been 
erected. There also were some spear heads made of 
walrus-teeth, some pieces of bone and other articles 
of Esquimaux handiwork. 


While preparations for wintering were being made 
Captain Hall started on a sledge journey, which occu¬ 
pied from October loth to October 24th. On his 
return he was suddenly taken sick. At first it was 
supposed to be only a temporary bilious attack, but 
on the following day the symptoms became alarming 
and he was frequently delirious. The illness contin¬ 
ued and gradually assumed the appearance of paraly¬ 
sis. 

Early on the 8th of November, the heroic explorer’s 
adventurous career terminated. “ Last evening,” says 
Tyson, “the Captain himself thought he was better, 
and would soon be around again. But it seems he 
took worse in the night. Captain Buddington came 
and told me he “ thought Captain Hall was dying.” I 
got up immediately, and went to the cabin and looked 
at him. He was quite unconscious—knew nothing. 
He lay on his face, and was breathing very heavily ; 
his face was hid in the pillow. It was about half-past 
three o’clock in the morning that he died. Assisted 
in preparing the grave, which is nearly half a mile 
from the ship, inland; but the ground was so frozen 
that it was necessarily very shallow—even with picks 
it was scarcely possible to break it up.” 

In Captain Tyson’s diary we find another entry 
under the date of November iith, which closes this 
strange, eventful history: 

“ At half-past eleven this morning we placed all 
that was mortal of our late commander in the frozen 
ground. Even at that hour of the day it was almost 
dark, so that I had to hold a lantern for Mr. Brj’an to 
read the prayers. I believe all the ship’s company 
were present, unless perhaps the steward and cook. 
It was a gloomy day, and well befitting the event. 
The place also is rugged and desolate in the extreme. 
Away off, as far as the dim light enables us to see, we 
are bound in by huge masses of slate rock, which 
stand like a barricade, guarding the barren land of 
the interior; between these rugged hills lies the snow- 
covered plain; behind us the frozen waters of Polaris 
Bay. the shore strewn with great ice-blocks. The 
little hut which they call an observatory bears aloft, 
upon a tall flag-staff, the only cheering object in 
sight; and that is sad enough to-day, for the Stars 
and Stripes droop at half-mast. 

“ As we went to the grave this morning, the coffin 
hauled on a sledge, over which was spread instead of 
a pall, the American flag, we walked in procession, I 
walked on, with my lantern, a little in advance; then 
came the captain and officers, the engineer. Dr. Bes¬ 
sel and Meyers; and then the crew hauling the body 
by a rope attached to the sledge, one of the men on the 


96 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


right, holding another lantern. Nearly all are dressed 
in skins; and were their eyes to see us, we should 
look like anything but a funeral cortege. The Esqui¬ 
maux following the crew. There is a weird sort of 
light in the air, partly boreal or electric, through 
which the stars shone brightly at eleven A. M., while 
(we were) on our way to the grave.” 

Thus ended Hall’s ambitious project of conquering 
the secret of the North Pole; and thus was quenched 
the enthusiasm of a singularly ardent nature. 
Though better fitted for a volunteer than a leader, to 
act alone than to govern others, he undertook his 



GRAVE OF CAPTAIN HALL. 

work with a boundless energy, and an untiring perse¬ 
verance ; and, had he lived, it is certain he would have 
advanced as far to the northward as man is able to 
go. We cannot but regret so sudden and disastrous 
a termination of a chivalrous enterprise. Yet there 
is something appropriate in his place of burial; and 
that lonely grave amid the peaks and icebergs of the 
Polar World is surely a more suitable sepulchre for 
such a dauntless explorer than one in the crowded 
city cemetery, or even the village churchyard. On no 
man was the strange magical spell of the North more 
powerfully laid than on Charles Francis Hall; and it 
is well that he should sleep where the cold northern 
winds blow across his grave, and the weird radiance 
of the aurora falls upon it. The command of the 
expedition now devolved upon Captain Buddington; 
one of whose first and most regrettable acts was to 
discontinue the Sunday service that had hitherto been 
held, and held with a good effect upon the men. 

On the 20th, a violent hurricane arose, and con¬ 
tinued for many hours. It was accompanied by a 
heavy snow-drift, and attended by much breaking up 
of the ice. 


The nights were frequently illuminated by auroras, 
and their radiance was a welcome innovation on the 
dreary winter darkness. 

Dreary indeed! It was almost impossible to tell 
night from day, and to go out of sight of the vessel 
was dangerous in the extreme. It was not alone the 
darkness that was found oppressive but the silence. 
When out of hearing of the din and clamor of the 
disorderly and ill-disciplined crew, the gloom and 
silence of everything, says Tyson, settled down upon 
one like a pall. As there were no trees, there was no 
welcome whistling of the wind among their branches; 
and out on the open plain the wind buffeted the way¬ 
farer without giving him the slightest warning. Noth¬ 
ing existed that could be ruffled by it, or ever so gen¬ 
tly swayed or disturbed, so that the wind was felt 
before it was heard ; unless the traveller chanced to 
be near a gorge in the hills, down which it would 
come with a sufficiently formidable roar. 

One evening when Captain Tyson had wandered 
from the ship, he found that, out of the range of the 
men’s voices, no other sound prevailed. It was quite 
calm, no wind, no movement of any living creature, 
only the leaden sky above, and the gray, cold ice be¬ 
neath, and silence everywhere. It hung like a shroud 
over the rigid, stiffened forms of Nature. So painfully 
oppressive did the wanderer find it at last, that he 
was frequently tempted to shout aloud and break the 
spell. At last he felt constrained to do so; but no 
answer came, not even a responsive echo. 

“ The space was void; and there I stood. 

And the sole spectre was the solitude.” 

In February the day began to gain a little on the 
night, and the men began to recover their strength 
and spirits. Such is the common experience of all 
Arctic Voyagers. There can be no doubt as to the 
ill-effects of long-continued darkness on the mind and 
body of man ; and the explorer of the North, during 
its terrible winter, is frequently tempted to re-echo 
the aspiration of Goethe for “ Light ! more light ! ” 
The night of the 2ist was distinguished by the appear¬ 
ance of a beautiful paraselene, when four false moons 
were visible beside the true, or five in all. The true 
orb of night was surrounded by a halo which also em¬ 
braced two of the false ones; while the other two had 
a separate halo, forming a large circle concentric with 
the first. The two mock moons nearest to the true 
were fitfully lighted up with prismatic colors, a sight 
not less beautiful than curious. 

It was on the 28th that the sun reappeared, after an 
absence of one hundred and thirty-five days ; but the 











THE POLARIS EXPEDITION. 


97 



cold was still exceedingly severe—the thermometer 
marking 37° below zero. 

For March and April several short sledge excur- 


PARASELENE. 

sions were made, with the result of correcting numer¬ 
ous errors in Dr. Kane’s chart. The coast line for 
some fifty or sixty miles was closely examined, as well 
as its fiords, with their respective glaciers and 
icebergs. 

On the 9th of May, Tyson, Meyers, Joe, and 
Hans started on a sledge journey, which occu¬ 
pied six days. They struck inland to the east- 
northeast, and succeeded in reaching Newman 
Bay; thence proceeded in the same general 
direction as high as Lat. 82® 9'. One day they 
came upon a herd of musk oxen, of which they 
slaughtered twelve. These cattle develop their 
enormous bulk, as whales do, on what seems to 
be very slender and insufficient diet. Their 
food is the moss and lichens which grow on the 
rocks; and to get at it they must first scrape 
away the snow with their hoofs. There were 
some calves with the herd, and three of these 
were killed. At first the hunters failed to see 
them, for, at the approach of danger, the young 
ones take shelter under the body of their 
parents; and such is the length of the hair of 
the musk-ox that, as it nearly touches the 
ground, it hangs like a curtain before the 
calves, completely concealing them from view. 

The musk-ox is a bulky animal, weighing be¬ 
tween five hundred and six hundred pounds, 
but their legs are very short in proportion to 


their weight and size, so that their appearance is the 
reverse of graceful. Hunting tne musk-ox is not 
very exciting sport, for it is as easy to hit as the side 
of a house. When the herd have been 
checked by the dogs, and have arranged 
themselves in a circle, the hunter has 
nothing to do but to walk up and shoot 
them. 

A few lemmings {Moodes torquatus) 
were seen. One of the men caught a live 
lemming, and the carpenter found a dead 
one. These lemmings are small rodent, 
or gnawing animals. Though sometimes 
called the Arctic mouse, it differs consid¬ 
erably from the common nius; its claws 
are sharp and sickle-shaped, and the fore 
feet are remarkably long for an animal 
whose entire length does not exceed five 
inches. It inhabits the southern as well 
as the north Polar Regions, but is not 
found elsewhere. During the summer it 
burrows in mossy swamps, and in winter 
between stones and rocks. Its food is 
exclusively vegetable. When it travels, it follows 
a perfectly straight course, and nothing but an abso¬ 
lutely insurmountable obstacle can turn it aside. 


WINTER QUARTERS OF THE “POLARIS. 









98 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


Early in June a formidable leak was discovered on 
the starboard side of the stern of the Polaris, two 
planks being badly split. The warm weather now 
began to act on the ice, which broke up sufficiently to 
allow of boat excursions. Two were planned: one 
under the direction of Mr. Chester and Mr. Meyers, 
the other under that of Captain Tyson and Mr. 
Bessel. The former came to nothing, the boat being 
crushed by the fall of an iceberg. The latter pro¬ 
ceeded to Newman Bay, but was recalled, for some 
unexplained reason, by Captain Buddington. 

The summer passed away in a very unprofitable 
manner ; the want of discipline and obedience among 


the crew, and of energy and zeal on the part of the 
commander, proving fatal to all attempts to accom¬ 
plish the objects of the expedition. The Polaris 
weighed anchor on the I2th of August, and steamed 
slowly in a southerly direction. But being caught in the 
ice, she was moored in a floe, and in this way she slowly 
drifted down Kane Basin into Smith Sound, and on 
the 4th of October passed Rensselaer Harbor, where 
Kane had spent the winters of 1853, 1854, and 1855, 
During the night of the 15th of October the ship 
was “ nipped ” in the ice; and so terrible was the 
pressure that all on board thought she would be 
reduced to a wreck. In a moment of panic the cap¬ 
tain, who seemed to be totally unfit for his respon¬ 


sible position, shouted to his men to “ throw everything 
on the ice,” and immediately the direst confusion pre¬ 
vailed, The men seized upon the stores, which had 
previously been brought up from the hold in anticipa¬ 
tion of a catastrophe, and flung them overboard indis¬ 
criminately. As the vessel, by its rising and falling 
motion, was constantly breaking the ice, and no care 
was exercised where or how things were thrown, 
Tyson, with some of the men, got upon the floe and 
endeavored to introduce a little order into the chaotic 
confusion. While they were thus engaged the ice 
began to crack; shortly afterwards it exploded under 
their feet and shivered into many pieces; the ship 


broke away in the darkness, and was out of sight in a 
moment. 

It was a terrible night, deep darkness, the snow 
falling heavily, the wind blowing violently. “ We did 
not know.” says Tyson, “who was on the ice or who 
was on the ship; but I knew some of the children 
were on the ice, because almost the last thing I had 
pulled away from the crushing keel of the ship were 
some musk-ox skins; they were lying across a wide 
crack in the ice, and as I pulled them toward me to 
save them I saw that there were two or three of 
Han’s children rolled up in one of the skins. A 
slight motion of the ice, and in a moment more 
they would either have been in the water and 



































THE POLARIS EXPEDITION. 


99 


drowned in the darkness, or crushed between the 
ice.” 

When morning came Tyson found that fortunately 
two boats were lying on the floe to which he and his 
companions were committed; a nearly circular floe, 
about four miles in circumference, and diversified like 
a small island, with hillocks and ponds, or lakelets, 
the latter formed by the summer melting of the ice. 
The ice was very various in thickness; some of the 
mounds or hills were as much as thirty feet thick, 
others did not exceed ten or fifteen feet. 

The little company, thus strangely brought together 
on a floating piece of ice, numbered nineteen, and 
included Captain Tyson, Meyers, meteorologist; Her¬ 
ron, steward; and Jackson, cook; Kruger. Jamka, 
Lindermann, Anthing, Lendquist, and Johnson, sea¬ 
men ; Joe and his wife Hannah and their child Puney ; 
Hans and his wife, Christiana, his children Augustina, 
Tobias, and Sucri, and his baby, Charlie Polaris (so 
called because born on board the ship in Polaris Bay), 
Esquimaux, 

The supply of provisions for these nineteen men, 
women, and children consisted only of fourteen cans 
of pemmican, eleven and a half bags of bread, one 
can of dried apples, and fourteen hams; so that if the 
ship did not return for them, the prospect was dark 
enough, and its solitary feature of hopefulness lay in 
the possession of the two boats. 

The ice floe on which the party was afloat did not 
long hold together. On the night of the i6th,a large 
portion, on which were Tyson and his companions 
and one of the boats, broke adrift, the other boat, 
part of the provisions, and the house of poles being 
lost on the main body of the floe. But by the 21st 
they recovered these articles, and removed to a larger 
floe nearer the land, where they built some snow 
houses. The provisions were utterly inadequate to 
support the party during the six months of winter, 
even on reduced rations, the dogs were eaten, and no 


seals could be captured, and so, day after day, they 
drifted on till, on Jan. 9th, they reached the middle of 
Davis Strait, the cold being 40° below zero. On the 
19th the sun reappeared, and during February and 
March several seals were captured. On theiithof 
the last month, a formidable gale struck the floe, and 
the ice raft broke up into hundreds of pieces, the 
castaways being left on one measuring about seventy- 
five yards square, which, fortunately, was of immense 
solidity. But this small floe quickly began to wear 
away, and the party took to their boat and safely 
reached the pack-ice. Continued gales having pre¬ 
vented the capture of seals, reduced them to great 
distress ; some of the men seemed to be losing their 
senses, and, to put a climax to their misery, a heavy 
sea carried off their tents, bed clothing, and every¬ 
thing that was movable. It required all the efforts of 
the men to save the boat. For twelve hours they 
held on to it “ like grim death.” Scarcely a word 
was uttered, except the crying of the children, 
the orders of Captain Tyson, and the answer, “ Ay, 
ay, sir ! ” of them. Thus, on the 22d of April, half- 
drowned, half-frozen, without food or shelter, destruc¬ 
tion seemed to be looking them in the face. On the 
28th, a steamer was in sight, but she did not see 
them; still their hopes revived at this proof that they 
were in the path of vessels. Next day another 
steamer hove in sight, again to disappoint them; 
then, on the morrow, a third appeared, and passed 
them ; but on the 30th, a fourth was discovered in 
the fog. The Esquimau Hans paddled toward her, 
in a few minutes she was alongside the piece of ice. 
She proved to be the Tigress, a Newfoundland 
sealer, who at once sent their boats to the relief 
of the much-tried explorers. The Tigress and 
her passengers reached St. Johns, May 12th, 
and they were transferred to the United States 
steamer Frolic, which landed them at Washington, 
June 5, 1873. 


lOO 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


CHAPTER X. 


THE SEARCH FOR THE POLARIS. 



A RUDDER CRUSHED BY ICE. 


On the arrival home of Captain Tyson and his party, 
and their report of their departure from the Polaris, it 
•was resolved to send an expedition in search of the 
missing ship. The Tigress was purchased for this 
purpose, and duly equipped, and the Juniata was 
sent to establish a coaling depot for her at Disco 
Island. The Tigress left New York July 14, 1873, 
and arrived at Littleton Island where the Polaris had 
gone adrift, about the middle of August. Here the 
rescuing party learned that the Polaris had been 
abandoned by Captain Buddington, that he had ven¬ 
tured on the mainland, had built two boats with wood, 
and canoes from the ship, and had sailed southward 


about the time “ when ducks begin to hatch,” and 
that the Polaris, soon after his departure, had foun¬ 
dered. Captain Greer took possession of all the rel¬ 
ics of the expedition that he could find, and returned 
to St. Johns, Newfoundland, where the first words he 
heard were: “ The Polaris party are safe.” 

We now return to the Polaris. On the night that 
she broke away from the ice, she had on board four¬ 
teen officers and men—namely. Captain Buddington ^ 
Chester and Morton, the first and second mates; Schu- 
man and Odell, chief and assistant engineers ; Camp¬ 
bell and Booth, firemen ; Coffin, carpenter ; Sieman, 
Hobby, Hays, and Manch, seamen ; Dr. Bessel, chief 
of the scientific staff; and Bryan, the astronomer and 
chaplain. 

Leaking heavily, and with her anchors gone, the 
Polaris was driven by the wind in a northeasterly 
direction. At length steam was got up, and the ves¬ 
sel got under some degree of control. A look-out 
was kept, it is said, from the mast-head, for the two 
boats and their companions; but as they could not' be 
seen and it was supposed they would accomplish 
their voyage in safety, Buddington put the vessel in¬ 
shore, and moored her off Kane’s Life-boat Cove (Lat. 
78° 23' 30" N., and Long. 73° 21' W.). She had sus¬ 
tained such serious injuries that the wonder was she 
had kept afloat so long; and as it seemed impossible 
to repair her, Buddington resolved on permanently 
abandoning her, and on conveying to land all the 
food, fuel, and the articles most necessary for building 
a house and supporting himself and companions dur¬ 
ing the winter. Some days were occupied in the 
work of unloading, and the Polaris was then aban¬ 
doned to her fate. 

The house erected by the survivors of the Polaris 
was constructed with the ship’s spars, bulkheads, 
and sails. It measured 22 feet in length and 14 in 
width, and was surrounded by a bank of snow to 
protect it from the Arctic winds. A stove insured 
its warmth; and comfortable sleeping-berths for 
fourteen persons were built up around its sides. Im¬ 
plements for cooking were brought from the 


the: search for the polar is. 


lOI 


Polaris, as well as a table, lamps, and other con¬ 
veniences. 

In the course of a few days, a party of native Esqui¬ 
maux arrived in five sledges. They proved of great 
assistance to the white men, and rendered any ser¬ 
vices that were required of them, in return for a few 
knives, needles, pieces of wood and iron, or other 
trifling articles. Some of them built their huts in 
the vicinity, and prepared to winter there. The 
women were of great utility—making and repairing 
clothing, and “ performing other feminine courtesies 
for the men ; ” while the native hunters, as the season 
advanced brought to the house a plentiful supply of 
fresh meat. In these circumstances, it is not astonish- 


hunting, or setting traps for foxes. Happily as their 
historian remarks, food was never wanting nor even 
scarce; they were well-fed, well-clothed, and well- 
sheltered. How striking a contrast to the wretched 
condition of their comrades adrift on the raft of ice! 

They had no boats, however, and they set to work 
to supply this deficiency. Materials were abundant, 
and they enjoyed the advice and assistance of the 
ship’s carpenter. Each boat was twenty-five feet in 
length, square fore and aft, and five feet beam— 
capable of carrying seven men, with provisions for 
about two months; in which time, it was supposed, 
they would undoubtedly reach a latitude where 
assistance would be obtainable. The timber used was 



IN BAFFIN’S BAY. 


ing that Captain Buddington and his party experi¬ 
enced but few of the severities of an Arctic winter. 

When fairly settled, the whole party fell into a 
regular daily routine of the easiest character. Dr. 
Bessel and Mr. Brj'an continued their scientific 
observations; and others whiled away the time in 
reading, writing, playing at chess, draughts and 
cards. There was also the house work to be done; 
ice blocks to be cut for melting, fire replenished, 
lamps trimmed, the meals cooked; and when in 
February, the co?J supply became exhausted, wood 
for firing purposes had to be cut from the Polaris 
and brought ashore. When the mild light of spring 
broke over the far northern seas, there were many 
opportunities for going in search of game, or seal 


chiefly taken from the Polaris —such as the ceiling of 
the alley-ways and after-cabin. The difficulties of 
the work were great, but not insurmountable. The 
two boats were finished ; and also a third and smaller 
one, which was presented to the friendly natives. 

A little after one o’clock, on the morning of the 3d 
of June, the boats received their cargoes of provisions 
and other necessary articles. The party was equally 
divided—seven in each boat; and bidding farewell to 
the Esquimaux and their winter home, they launched 
out into the free waters of Smith Sound, and turned 
their prows southward. 

With the exception of slight scorbutic affections in 
a few of the men, they had enjoyed wonderfully good 
health throughout the Arctic winter and spring. It 

















T02 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS 


was now summer, and the sun was constantly above 
the horizon. Neither against cold nor darkness was 
it necessary now to struggle. The voyage before 
them, except for occasional interruption from pack- 
ice, was a pleasant excursion. Wherever they put 
ashore they found sea-birds, seals, and other game 
in abundance; and occasionally the eggs of the 
eider and other ducks figured in their bills of 
fare. 

As they proceeded on their voyage, they touched on 
the Esquimaux settlement of Etah-y-tamy, but found 
it abandoned ; akso at Hakluyt Island ; and afterwards 
they landed on the west shore of Northumberland 
Island, where they were detained until the loth by 
the pack ice. Putting to sea again, the ice carried 
them back to their point of departure. But on the 
12th the prospect was more favorable, and they set 
sail for the second time. Crossing the southern part 
of Murchison Sound, they doubled Cape Parry, and 
rested for awhile at Blackwood Point. Continuing 
their voyage on the following day, they reached and 
landed on Dalrymple Island ; afterwards at Wolsten- 
holme Island and Cape York. 

Thus far, says Mr. Blake, their course had been 
comparatively easy ; but they were now called upon 
to encounter the ice of the glacier-fed Melville Bay ; 
and here considerably greater exertion was required 
of them—the water-ways frequently closing up, so 
that they had to haul their boats across the ice until 
they came to another open “ lead.” Their troubles 
were not, however, of long duration. On the 20th 
day from their departure and soon after entering upon 
the difficult waters of Melville Bay, they sighted a 
steamer in the distance. They were then twenty-five 
miles southeast of Cape York. 

True, they perceived that the vessel was beset, and 
could not come to them ; and she was some ten miles 
away. But being beset, she was sure to remain until 
they could get to her ; and the relief appeared all the 
more timely, since one of the boats had been injured 
in its contact with the ice, and only about one w'eek’s 
provisions remained. The party had evidently over¬ 
eaten their rations, or had not rightly estimated them. 

Two men were sent forward toward the steamer, 
but had traversed only a portion of the distance when 
they were met by a body of eighteen men from the 
ship—which proved to be \\\^ Ravenscrai^ o[ Dundee, 
Captain Allen, lying in Lat. 75° 38' N., Long. 65° 35' W., 
Cape York being to the northwest, at about twenty- 
five miles distant. 

“ The party on the ice had been sighted by the 
lookout on the vessel at about i a. m. (it being light 


all the time then) ; they were at that time about four¬ 
teen miles off, and were supposed to be Esquimaux. 
By nine o’clock it was observed that the party were 
moving toward the vessel, but very slowly ; not having 
made more than two miles since first seen ; and it was 
now discovered that they were not natives, but white 
men. This naturally increased the interest on board. It 
was perceived that they had two boats, and their colors 
on a pole. Volunteers were now ready to go to their 
relief, and eighteen picked men were chosen for the 
purpose ; Captain Allen also hoisting his ensign as an 
encouragement to the wanderers. 

“ Captain Buddington and his party were intensely 
gratified to see that they had been noticed, and all 
watched with the greatest anxiety the progress of the 
two men who had gone forward toward the vessel. 
But when the rescuers were seen returning with them, 
every heart was relieved, and weariness gave place to 
the joy of anticipated security. 

“ The boats had been considerably injured by con¬ 
tact with the rough, hummocky ice, and one of them 
was slightly stove in, but had been repaired. The 
fatigue of dragging boats over such ice may be partly 
imagined when we find that it took the combined 
party of thirty-two from 6 P. M. until midnight to get 
to the vessel—a rate of two miles an hour. The diffi¬ 
culty had been greatly increased by a deep slushy 
snow, which was spread over the entire surface, and 
was not only heavy and disagreeable to w’ade through 
but was not without its real dangers, as more than 
one found by suddenly sinking into some treacherous 
hole which was concealed by it. One of the men had 
great difficulty in extricating himself from one of these 
hidden pitfalls ; indeed, without assistance, the acci¬ 
dent might have proved fatal.” 

On board the Ravcnscratg Captain Buddington 
and his companions were most hospitably entertained, 
but as she was not homeward bound, her captain, as 
soon as possible, transferred them to the Arctic and 
the Intrepid, which, having completed their work in 
the Polar seas, were about to sail for Dundee. The 
Arctic, whh Captain Buddington and ten of his party, 
reached that port on the 18th of September, 1873. 
Embarking on board the City of Antwerp, they ar¬ 
rived safely at New York, on the 4th of October; and 
were followed, a few weeks later, by Mr. Bryan and 
his two companions, who had been transferred to the 
Intrepid, and from that to the Erick. Thus every 
member of the ill-fated Polaris expedition arrived 
safely at their homes, except its gallant and enthusi¬ 
astic leader, whose ambitious hopes had been so sadly 
and fatally extinguished. 



THK I\ IITK ICK-Fl Ii:LDS 































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































104 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS, 


CHAPTER XL 


THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION OF 1875. 

In the year 1875, 
British Governm e n t 
despatched an expedi¬ 
tion to the Arctic 
region, under Com¬ 
mander Nares, with 
instructions to explore 
as considerable a por¬ 
tion of the unknown 
Polar Regions as was 
possible with the 
means at his dis¬ 
posal. 

Theexpedition, then, 
in the first place, had 
to force its way 
through the ice-en¬ 
cumbered channel 
which connects Baffin 
Bay with the Polar Ocean; a channel which 
successively bears the names of Smith Sound, Kane 
Basin, Kennedy Channel, Hall Basin, and Robe¬ 
son Strait. Smith Sound opens out of Baffin Bay 
between Capes Alexander and Isabella. 

The Alert and the Discoz'cry left the shores of 
England in May, 1875. After a voyage of five weeks’ 
duration they arrived at Lively, the port of Disco 
Island, on the west coast of Greenland. This small 
settlement numbers about ninety-six inhabitants, 
Danes and Esquimaux—generally speaking, a mixed 
race. The Danish Inspector of North Greenland re¬ 
sides here, and he received the expedition with a 
salute from three brass cannon planted in front of his 
house. There is a well-conducted school, attended 
by about sixteen children ; and a small church, where 
the schoolmaster reads the Lutheran service on Sun¬ 
days, the priest coming over from Upernavik occa¬ 
sionally, to perform marriages, christenings, and other 
religious services. 

The Alert having taken on board thirty Esquimaux 
dogs and a driver, the expedition left Disco at one 


■THE “ALERT” AND “DISCOVERY.” 

o’clock on the morning of July i6th, and next morning 
reached Kiltenbunts, about thirty miles further north, 
Kiltenbunts is a little island in the Strait of Weigat- 
tet, between Disco and the mainland. Here the Dis- 
c(n>ery took on board thirty dogs; and shooting parties 
from both ships made a descent on a “ loomery ” or 
“ bird-bazaar,” frequented by guillemots, kittiwakes, 
and other ocean birds. Two or three days later the ex¬ 
pedition arrived, at a settlement named Proven, where 
it was joined by the Esquimaux dog-driver, who has 
already figured so conspicuously in these pages, 
Hans Christian, the attendant of Kane, Hayes, and 
Hall, in their several expeditions. At Proven, the 
adventurers received and answered their last letters 
from “ home.” 

Striking northward through Baffin Bay they reached 
Cape York on the 25th of July, and met with a com¬ 
pany of the misnamed Arctic Highlanders, who tra¬ 
versed the ice-floes in their dog-sledges, and soon 
fraternized with the seamen, A narwhal having been 
harpooned, a quantity of the skin and blubber was 
given to the Esquimaux. Mr. Hodson, the chaplain 
of the Discovery, describes them as exceedingly 
greedy and barbarous, eating whatever fell in their 
way, but living chiefly upon seals. They were not so 
far advanced in civilization as to be able to construct 
kayaks, and apparently they had never before seen 
Europeans. They wore trousers of bear-skin and an 
upper garment of seal-skin. 

Proceeding northward by Dr. Kane’s Crimson 
Cliffs, they soon reached that brave explorer’s cele¬ 
brated winter quarters. Port Foulke, and took advan¬ 
tage of a day’s delay to visit the Brother John Glacier 
which we have already described. They found 
Dr. Kane’s journal, but no relics; shot a reindeer 
and a large number of birds. 

Between Melville Bay and the entrance to Smith 
Sound no ice was met with ; but on the 30th of July 
the “ pack ” was sighted off Cape Sabine, in Lat. 78® 
41' N. Here at Port Payer, the ships were fast held 
by the ice for several days. An attempt to proceed 



THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION OF iSjs- 


105 


further northward was made to the west of the 
islands in Hayes Sound; but the water-way not 
leading in the right direction, the ships returned. On 
the 6th of August they made afresh start, and thence¬ 
forward maintained an uninterrupted struggle with 
the ice. The Alert led the way with Captain Nares 
in her “ crow’s nest,” anxiously looking out for prac¬ 
ticable channels. At Cape Frazer the huge, solid 
mass again delayed them. Then they succeeded in 
crossing Kennedy Channel to the east side, and 


dred miles further to the north, as all had anticipated, 
found herself on the border of what was evidently a 
very extensive sea, with impenetrable ice on every 
side. As no harbor could be found, the ship was 
secured as far north as possible, inside a kind of em¬ 
bankment of grounded ice close to the land. There 
she passed the winter; and during the eleven months 
of her detention no navigable water-way, through 
which she could move further to the north, pre¬ 
sented itself. Far from meeting with the “great 



“ALERT” AND “DISCOVERY.” 


took shelter in Petermann Fiord—so named after 
the great German geographer. After a few days, 
they again pushed northward; and on the 25th of 
August, after many narrow e.scapes from being 
crushed in the ice. a well-sheltered harbor received 
them, on the west side of Hall Basin, north of Lady 
Franklin Sound, in Lat. 81° 44' N. This was at once 
selected as the winter quarters of the Discovery. 
Her sister ship continuing her course, rounded the 
northeast point of Grant Land; but instead of falling 
in with a continuous coast line, stretching one hun- 


Polar Sea ” dreamed of by Kane and Hayes, our 
adventurers discovered that the ice-barrier before 
them was unusually thick and solid. It looked as if 
composed of floating ice-bergs, which had gradually- 
been jammed and welded together. This wa^ named 
by Captain Nares the Palaeocrystic Sea, or “ Sea of 
Ancient Ice.” 

Ordinary ice does not exceed ten feet in thickness; 
but in the Polar Sea, generation after generation, 
layer has been superimposed on layer, until the whole 
mass measures from eighty feet to one hundred and 



























































GREAT ARCTIC TR A SELLERS. 


io6 


twenty feet; it floats with its surface nowhere less 
than fifteen feet above the water-line. It was this 
wonderful thickness which prevented the Alert from 
driving ashore. Owing to its great depth of floata¬ 
tion, sixty feet to one hundred feet, the mass 
grounded on coming into shallow water, and formed 
a breakwater within which the ship was compara¬ 
tively secure. When two pieces of ordinary ice are 
driven one against the other, and the edges broken 
up, the crushed pieces are raised by the pressure into 
a high, long, wall-like hedge of ice. When two of 


spare spars, and otherwise preparing for the wtntei 
The first day ashore they shot a herd of eleven musk¬ 
oxen. A few days afterwards the sea was frozen all 
around the ship, so that they could freely move to and 
fro about on the ice. A week later they saw a large 
number of musk oxen, and shot about forty, thus 
laying in a considerable supply of provisions. 

Their winter port, which was surrounded by snow- 
clad hills about two thousand feet high, they christened 
Discovery Harbor. As soon as the sea was com¬ 
pletely frozen over, the sledging parties we*-« or^ran- 



MUSK ox. 


the ancient floes of the Polar Sea meet, the inter¬ 
mediate lighter broken-up ice which may happen to 
be floating about between them, alone suffers; it is 
pressed up between the two closing masses to a 
great height, producing a chaotic wilderness of angu¬ 
lar blocks of all shapes and sizes, varying in height 
up to fifty feet above the water, and frequently cover¬ 
ing an area of upwards of a mile in diameter. 

We must now return to the Discovery. As soon 
as she had taken up her winter quarters the crew be¬ 
gan to unload her, landing the boats, stores, and 


ized and duly dispatched; but as the autumn was 
rapidly passing, very little could be done in this direc¬ 
tion. The usual preparations on the part of the Arc¬ 
tic explorers were then made for “ hibernating.” 
Houses were built, also a magnetic observatory, and 
a theater of ice recalling the glittering edifice con¬ 
structed by Catherine 11 , of Russia on the Neva, and 
celebrated by Cowper in the well-known lines: 

“No forest fell 

When thou wouldst build, no quarry send its stores 
To enrich thy walls; but thou didst hew the floods. 
And make thy marble of the glassy wave.” 









THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION OE 1875. 


107 



A smithy was erected on the nth of November, 
being the first the Arctic Sea had ever borne. Its 
roof was made of coal bags cemented with ice. 
The ship’s stoker 
reigned supreme 
in it as black¬ 
smith ; and when 
we consider the 
accessories — the 
ice, the snow, the 
darkness—we must 
admit that his blaz¬ 
ing forge must 
have made a curi¬ 
ous picture. The 
chaplain tells us 
humorously that 
the smith adorned 
the interior wall 
with a good many 
holes, as each time 
that his iron wanted cooling he simply thrust it into 
the ice. 

As for the theatre, which, as we know, has always 


LITTLE AUKS. 


been a favorite source of amusement with .Arctic ex¬ 
plorers when winter-bound, it was sixty feet long and 
twenty-seven feet broad, and in honor of the Princess 

of Wales was 
named “ The Alex¬ 
andra.” Her birth¬ 
day was selected 
as the day of open¬ 
ing—December ist 
—and the opening 
piece was a popu¬ 
lar farce, “My Turn 
Next.” As sailors 
are generally 
adepts at dramatic 
personations, w e 
may conceive that 
the piece “ went 
well,” and that the 
different actors re¬ 
ceived the applause 
they merited. It is recorded that foremost among 
them was the engineer, Mr. Miller, who appears 
to have been emphatically the Polar Star. Several 



CAPE AUK. 
















GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


jo8 


of the men sang songs, and recitations, old and 
new, were occasionally introduced, the result of 
the whole being to divert the minds and keep up the 
spirits of the ship’s company during the long, long 
Arctic nights. 

A fine level promenade had been constructed on 
the ice, about a mile in length, by sweeping away the 
snow, and this served as a daily exercise ground. A 
skating rink was also constructed. A free hole in 


the ice, for the sake of better ventilation, was care¬ 
fully kept up. Whenever it closed, through a process 
of gradual congelation, the ice-saws were set in mo¬ 
tion to open it up again, or it was blasted with gun¬ 
powder. The dogs lived on the ice-floe all the 
winter. It must not be thought that the cold was 
uniform day after day. Probably it is not the low 
temperature that makes an Arctic winter so very try¬ 
ing to the European. In a few hours the change 
would be no less than 6 o”. The cold reached its 
height or depth in winter, when the thermometer 
marked 70^° below zero, the greatest cold ever ex¬ 
perienced by any Polar expedition. It is difficult for 
the human frame to bear up against this excess of 
rigor, even with the help of good fires, good fuel, and 
good clothing. Not only the physical but the mental 
faculties are debilitated and depressed. 

Our ice-bound seamen, however, managed to keep 
Christmas merrily. Early on the day, so dear to 
Christian memories, “ the waits ” went their usual 
rounds—a sergeant of marines, the chief boatswain’s 
mates, and three other volunteers—singing Christ¬ 
mas carols, and making “ a special stay outside the 
aptain’s cabin.” In the forenoon prayers were said 


on the lower deck; after which the captain and offi¬ 
cers visited the men’s mess, tasting the Christmas 
pudding, and examining the tasteful decorations which 
had been improvised. Then the gifts which, in an¬ 
ticipation of the day, had been sent out by kindly 
English hearts were distributed by the captain—to 
each gift the name of the recipient having been pre¬ 
viously attached. This was an affecting scene; and 
hearty, though not without a touch of pathos in them, 
were the cheers given as the distribution 
took place; a distribution recalling so 
many “ old familiar faces,” and all the 
sweet associations and gentle thoughts 
of home. 

A few particulars of the “ situation ” 
may here be given in the chaplain’s 
own words. “ We had brought fish, 
beef, and mutton from England,” he says, 
“ all of which we hung up on one of the 
masts, and it was soon as hard as a 
brick and perfectly preserved. We had 
also brought some sheep from England 
with us, and they were killed from time 
to time. When we arrived in Discovery 
Bay, as we called it, six of them were 
alive, but on being landed they were 
worried by the dogs, and had to be 
slaughtered. During the winter the men 
had to fetch ice from a berg about half a mile distant 
from the ship, in order to melt it for fresh water.” 

At last the long Arctic night came to an end. It 
was with emotions of hope and gratitude and joy that 
the explorers welcomed the first rays of the returning 
sun on the last day of February. For four months 
they had lived in obscurity and gloom, with the ex¬ 
ception of such relief as the stars and moon had oc¬ 
casionally afforded. On the day of the sun’s return 
to the Polar World, it was known that it would rise 
at about 12 o’clock, and everybody ascended the hills 
for the purpose of hailing the glorious spectacle. The 
mist and fogs, however, baffled their expectations ; 
and, though they felt its influence, they did not see it 
for some days after it had mounted above the hori¬ 
zon. 

News was brought from the Alert by two officers 
and two men towards the end of March. They had 
accomplished the journey with the thermometer at 
40° below zero, and had occupied six days in making 
it. The officers were Lieutenant Rawson and Mr. 
Egerton, who had started at first in company with 
Petersen, the interpreter, but had been compelled to 
return with him because he was severely frost-bitten. 




THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION OF 1873. 



“ But the crowning glories of this ever-memorable 
campaign were.” as Mr. Markham exclaims, 
“achieved during the spring.” Three main sledge 
expeditions were organized; one, under Commander 
Markham and Lieutenant Parr, instructed to keep 
due north, as far as possible, into the newly-dis¬ 
covered Polar Ocean; another, under Lieutenant 
Aldrich, to explore the American coast westward; 
and the third, under Lieutenant Beaumont, of the 
Discovery, to survey the north coast of Greenland, 
facing eastwards. Each party consisted of two 
sledges; and the six, with their gallant crews, set 
out on the 3d of April, 1876, determined to vindicate 
and maintain the reputation of British seamen. They 
separated at Cape Joseph Henry; and before they 
again met this was what they achieved: 

Commander Markham and Lieutenant Parr pushed 
northward as far as Lat. 83® 20' 26" N.; being the 
most northerly point which any explorers had then 
attained. 

Lieutenant Aldrich struck westward; rounded 
Cape Colombia in lat. 83° 7’ N.; and explored 220 
miles of American coast line, previously not laid 
down on any map. 

Lieutenant Beaumont crossed Robeson Strait, sur¬ 
veyed the northern coast of Greenland for about 
seventy miles. 

“ In order,” it is said " that these three main 
parties might do their work successfully, ever}- soul 
in the two ships was actively employed. The depot 
and relieving parties did most arduous work, and the 
officers vied with each other in promoting the objects 
of the expedition, while the most perfect harmony 
and unanimity prevailed. Captain Feilden and Mr. 
Hart were especially active in making natural history 
collections; and Lieutenants Giffard, Archer, Raw- 
son, Egerton, and Conybeare did admirable work in 
exploring and keeping open communications.” 

When the sledge parties returned to the ships. 
Captain Nares found that they had suffered terribly ; 
but he also found that their success had been com¬ 
plete. They had solved a geographical problem; 
no open sea surrounded the Pole, as so many san¬ 
guine spirits had anticipated. The way northward 
was over a waste of ice—of ice broken up into hum¬ 
mocks and ponderous masses. And with the appli¬ 
ances they possessed further progress was impossible ; 
the expedition had reached its ne plus ultra. 

The work was done, and Captain Nares perceived 
that nothing more could be gained, while valuable 
lives might be lost by remaining longer in the Polar 
Ocean. 


109 

Water flowed in the ravines on the ist of July. 
After that day the thaw gradually extended, and in¬ 
creased in rapidity; and on the 23d a strong south¬ 
west wind drove the pack a mile away from the 
shore. On the 26th a cairn was erected on the shore, 
and a record of the work of the expedition deposited 
in it; and on the 31st, a passage having been cleared 


GREAT AUK. 

through the winter-barrier of icebergs, the Alert, 
with a strong southwest wind filling her canvas, 
pushed out into Robeson Channel on her homeward 
voyage. After a run of two miles along shore, 
through a fairly open way between the pace ice and 
what Dr. Kane calls the “ ice-foot,” she was checked 
in her course by a heavy floe, one and a half miles in 
diameter, which almost touched the land; and no 
other shelter being available, she lay up in a small 

















I lO 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


cove or creek, among a group of icebergs that had 
gone ashore in the shallows. The obstructive floe 
showed signs of movement early on the morning of 
August 1st; and soon afterwards went away to the 
northward at the rate of a mile and a half an hour, 
grinding along the ice-foot somewhat alarmingly as 
it advanced towards the ship. Steam being up, how¬ 
ever, the A/er/ cast off her moorings, and succeeded 
in edging between the land and the floe ; while the 
latter swung round in-shore with a violent jerk, close 
to the position which the ship had previously occu¬ 
pied. The Alert kept onward, so close to the cliff 
that the boats hung at her quarter frequently touched 
it, until again brought to a stop near Cape Union by 
the accumulation of the pack. Her captain, how¬ 
ever, was able here to secure her abreast of a large 
stream, the current of which had undermined the ice- 
cliff for some fifty yards, and floated it off to sea, 
leaving a kind of cove or harbor where the ship could 
be laid alongside the beach in such a manner that, if 
the pack struck her, it could only force her on shore. 

When the tide had turned, and began to flow south¬ 
ward, it broke up the ice all around Cape Union, and 
formed a narrow water-way, which offered Captain 
Nares a chance of escape. Steam was got up imme¬ 
diately, but, owing to unavoidable delay in shipping 
the rudder, the ice closed in before the ship could be 
carried round. Her last stage was worse than her 
first; for she was now cut off from her safe little 
port, and no better shelter was available than a slight 
hollow or break in the ice-cliff. Here, however, she 
was brought to with the ice-blocks swirling past her 
at a distance of twenty yards. At low water Cap¬ 
tain Nares castoff, and bored someway into the pack, 
so that the Alert might drift round the cape with 
the southern tide. At about a quarter of a mile from 
the land, she drove along with the ice ; and, when the 
tide slackened, steamed out of the pack before it be¬ 
gan to set to the northward. Then, keeping close in 
to the ice-foot, she kept slowly on her course to the 
southward, the water-w'ay broadening as she ap¬ 
proached Lincoln Bay, which was crossed without 
difficulty. When within five miles of Cape Beechy, 
the tide turned ; but after a short delay a channel 
opened, allowing the ship to round the cape. At this 
point the ice-cliff cords, and the land slopes gently 
to the shore, which is protected by a barrier of floe- 
bergs, similar to, but smaller than, those which line 
the shore of the Polar Sea. Here the ship was made 
fast in three fathoms of water, within twenty yards of 
the shore about a mile to the south of the cape. 

While the Alert was thus imprisoned, the huge 


pack-ice in the offing was carried up and down the 
strait by the tidal movement, the wind having the 
effect of increasing the velocity of the current and 
the duration of its flow both northward and south¬ 
ward. The ice generally was of a lighter character 
than that in the Polar Sea; but many heavy Polar 
floes were driven southward by the gale, and set into 
Lady Franklin Sound and Archer Fiord rather than 
down Kennedy Channel. Lady Franklin Sound, in¬ 
deed, seems to be the receptacle of all the heavy ice 
that comes south through Robeson Channel; retain¬ 
ing it until the prevailing westerly winds carry it once 
more to the northward, and empty the sound, pre¬ 
vious to its being refilled on the return of the northerly 
gales. 

The gale of the 6th of August was very violent. 
The tide rushing southward drove a succession of 
heavy floe-pieces against the small bergs that pro¬ 
tected the ship, and capsized one of them completely. 
It was firmly aground when struck by the point of a 
large floe; but such was the force of the collision 
that it was reared tip erect in the air to its full height 
of at least sixty feet above water, when, turning a 
complete somersault like a practised gymnast, it came 
down on its back with a shock that shattered it into 
pieces, and raised a wave sufficient to roll the ship 
considerably. Into the gap thus caused moved the 
ice, until at last it nipped the Alert, though not dan¬ 
gerously. That same evening. Lieutenant Rawson 
and two seamen arrived from the with news 

of the ill-fortune that had overtaken the Greenland 
sledge-party. 

To free the ship from the ice required three days’ 
labor by all hands, and it was not till the 22d of 
August that a passage could be found, and the two 
ships steamed as far southward as Cape Collinson, 
with no other trouble than dense snow-storms, mists, 
and strong head-winds. But off the cape, the Alert 
having to back to escape a nip, she fouled the Dis¬ 
covery for a moment; the latter escaping, however, 
with nothing worse than the loss of a boat’s davit. 
The ice gradually breaking up before a strong south¬ 
west wind, the two ships crossed Scoresby Bay, which 
was perfectly clear, but rolled with a heavy sea. As 
they approached Cape Frazer, they were buffeted by 
a terrible gale, and put in to Maury Bay; anchoring 
among a quantity of grounded ice. Three days were 
spent in arduous efforts to double Cape Frazer—the 
meeting-point of the flood-tides; north and south, 
one from the Polar Ocean, and the other from the 
Atlantic—and Cape Hayes, the boundary-mark of the 
channel. Then the voyagers, with glad hearts, passed 


THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION 01 1S73 


111 


into Smith Sound ; and hugging' the shore as closely 
as was safe, arrived on the 29th at Prince Imperial 
Island in Dobbin Bay, “ everyone heartily thankful to 
be out of the pack, clear of the struggling icebergs, 
and for the ships to be secured to fixed ice once 
more.” 

The temperature now sunk again below freezing 
point. The brief Arctic summer was over, and day 
and night the young sea-ice formed continuously. 
The mists that hitherto accompanied the ships cleared 
away before a brisk northerly wind, and revealed a 


day or two later Captain Nares landed on Wash¬ 
ington Island, and visited a cairn, which he had raised 
there on the 12th of August, 1865. He visited, also, 
two old cairns erected by former explorers; the 
lichens, with which they were gray, proved that they 
were of earlier date than Dr. Hayes’s expedition. 

On the 3d of September, by dint of steaming assidu¬ 
ously, the ships rammed their way through a lane of 
water to the westward of Cape Hawks, which was 
inconveniently obstructed by loose pieces of old ice. 
After rounding the cape, says the captain, the pack. 



THE “ DISCOVERY ” ON SHORE. 


magnificent panorama of lofty mountains, white with 
shrouds of snow, and deep valleys filled with colossal 
glaciers. One of these stretched downwards to the 
shore and threw off great icebergs which floated or 
stranded in Dobbin Bay. It was named after Empress 
Eugenie, who had taken a lively personal interest in 
the expedition. 

Crossing Dobbin Bay on the ist of September, the 
voyagers came within a quarter of a mile of a depOt 
of provisions established near Cape Hawks in the pre¬ 
vious autumn, and succeeded in removing a portion. 


by drifting away from the land, had left unfrozen 
water and numerous detached small floes, which 
forced them to make a very serpentine course, and 
occasionally to pass within thirty yards of the low ice¬ 
foot on the shore, fortunately always finding deep 
water. In this way they reached Allman Baj', half¬ 
way between Cape Hawks and Franklin Pierce Bay. 
Meeting here with a belt of new ice, the Discovery 
was sent ahead; and under full steam she forced a 
channel through the ice, which was from one to three 
inches thick. From the lofty hills in the interior a 



















































































































































112 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


huge glacier leads down to Allman Bay; and it is a 
noticeable fact that always in the neighborhood of a 
glacier-stream the water was found nearly fresh, and 
of the temperature of 32®. 

On the 7th the homeward-bound ships reached 
Norman Lockyer Island, on the margin of Princess 
Marie Bay. The season was now far advanced, and, 
as the slightest mistake might have led to the vessels 
being ice-bound for the winter, the two captains as¬ 
cended to the highest point of the island to obtain 
some idea of the prospect before them. They were 
much relieved by seeing a large area of open water 
some twenty miles distant, which they conjectured 
would extend to the mouth of Smith Sound. No 
time was lost in getting under way; and the ships 
crossed two-thirds of the distance before they fell in 
with ice. By charging it under full steam, they 
cleared the obstacle, and then, through an open- 
water channel, ran on to Cape Sabine. 

On the 9th of September, they arrived off Cape 
Isabella, where they found a small packet of letters 
and newspapers, which had been left at the depot by 


the Pandora. The weather was now calm, and the 
wind favorable. Sail was hoisted, therefore, as the 
supply of coal began to run short, and on the evening 
of the 12th, the expedition reached Bardin Bay. 
During the 13th and 14th they worked southward 
into Wolstenholm Sound; and thence, with a south¬ 
easterly wind, crossed to Byam Martin, which they 
reached on the i6th. Two days later they entered 
the well-known waters of Melville Bay; on the 25th 
they arrived at Disco, where, and afterwards at 
Egedesminde, they obtained some small supplies of 
coal. 

Egedesminde was left behind on the 2d of Octo¬ 
ber, and on the 4th the two ships recrossed the 
Arctic circle—exactly fifteen months from the time of 
crossing it on the outward voyage. Experiencing 
adverse winds, they made but slow progress to the 
southward ; and, as the weather became warmer and 
damper, a few of the men suffered from rheumatism 
and catarrhs. During a heavy gale on the 19th, the 
two ships separated ; but, both as we have seen, 
reached the shores of England in safety. 


CHAPTER XII. 


DISCOVERIES OK THE 

The comparative failure of the German Arctic ex¬ 
pedition directed the attention of Polar explorers to 
the seas of Novaya Zemlya, or Nova Zembla as it 
appears in many maps. Austria first resolved to at¬ 
tempt the task, and after a preliminary expedition of 
the Isbjdrn, under Lieutenant Weyprecht. the Austro- 
Hungarian Government dispatched the Tegetthoff to 
pass two or more winters in the ice. On June 14th, 
she left Bremerhaven. She was a ship of 220 tons, 
fitted out for two years and a half, with coal enough 
to supply the daily wants of the crew and sixty days 
steaming. The crew consisted of Germans, Slavo¬ 
nians, Hungarians, and Italians, Lieutenants Wey¬ 
precht and Payer in command, and all on board had 
bound themselves by a formal deed to renounce every 
claim to an expedition for their rescue. 

On July 3d, the Tegetthoff arrived at Tromsoe, 
where she remained some time completing her equip- 


TEGETTHOFF.”—1872-1874. 

ment, and replenishing her stock of coals. On the 
13th, after hearing mass, they left the little town, 
steering towards the north, and on the i6th sighted 
the North Cape. 

The rest of the story is best told in Lieutenant 
Payer’s words, which, with some unessential omis¬ 
sions, we reproduce: 

“ Unfavorable winds had hindered our progress for 
some days; we now encountered heavy seas. On 
July 23d a sudden fall of the temperature and dirty 
rainy weather told us that we were close to the ice, 
which we expected to find later and much more to 
the northward, and on the evening of July 25th, Lat. 
74° o' 15" N., we actually sighted it, the thermometer 
marking 32.5° F., and 34.5° F. in the sea. The 
northerly winds, which had prevailed for some time, 
had broken up the ice, and it lay before us in long, 
loose lines. Though surprised at finding the ice so 


D/SCOVERIES OF THE "TEGETTHOFF"—iS72-iS74. 


”3 


far to the south, we never imagined that this was any¬ 
thing but a collection ©f floes, which had drifted out, 
perhaps, from the Sea of Kara through the Straits of 
Matotschkin. But only too soon the conviction was 
forced upon us that we were already within the 
Frozen Ocean, and that navigation in the year 1872 
was to differ widely from that of the preceding year. 
On July 26th, while steering in a northeasterly direc¬ 
tion, the ice became closer, though it was still naviga¬ 
ble ; but we nowhere saw heavy fields. The tempera¬ 
ture of the air and the sea fell rapidly, and during the 
two following weeks it remained below the freezing 
point almost uniformly, and without any essential 
difference between day and night. 

“ The ice gradually became closer; July 29th, we 
were able to continue our course only under steam, 
and heavy shocks were henceforward inevitable ; in 
many cases the vessel could not force a passage 
except by charging the ice. In the night a vast, 
apparently impenetrable barrier stopped our progress ; 
but the tactics of charging under steam again cleared 
a passage, and we penetrated into a larger ‘ ice-hole.’ 
We now glided along over the shining surface of its 
waters, as if we were navigating an inland lake, save 
that no copsewood clothed the shores, but pale 
blocks of ice, which the mist, that now fell and envel¬ 
oped us, transformed into the most fantastic shapes, 
and at last into mere shapelessness itself. In all that 
surrounded us neither form nor color was discernible ; 
faint shadows floated within the veil of mist, and our 
path seemed to lead no whither. A few hours before 
the glowing fire of the noonday sun had lain on the 
mountain wastes of Novaya Zemlya, while refraction 
raised its long coast high above the icy horizon. 
Nowhere does a sudden change in Nature exercise 
so immediate an effect on the mind as in the Frozen 
Ocean,where, too, all that brings delight proceeds from 
the sun. 

We had sailed over one ‘ ice-hole,’ and again a 
dense barrier of ice frowned on us ; as we forced our 
way into it, the ice closed in all round us—we were 
‘ beset.’ July 30th, the Tegetthoff remained fast in 
her prison ; no current of water, nor any movement 
among the floes lying close to us was discernible ; a 
dead calm prevailed, and mist hung on ever)' side. On 
the following day we made vain efforts to break 
through a floe which lay on our bows. The calm still 
prevailed Aug. ist, and no change was to be seen in 
the ice. Aug. 2d, the crew began with hearty good¬ 
will the toilsome work of warping, but with no suc¬ 
cess, the smallness of the floes hardly admitting of 
this manoeuvre. In the evening of the same day it 


seemed as if a fresh breeze would set us free ; but 
after we had gone on for a few cable-lengths, a great 
floe once more barred the route, while at the same 
time the wind fell. At length, when the ice became 
somewhat looser, we got up the engine fires, and in 
the following night broke through, under steam, a 
broad barrier of ice, which separated us from the 
open coast-water of Novaya Zemlya. In the morning 
of Aug. 3d, we forced our w'ay into coast-water, 



PAVER. 


twenty miles broad, to the north of Matotschkin 
Schar, and steered due north, the mountainous coasts 
still in sight. A belt of ice 105 miles broad lay 
behind us. The country greatly resembled Spitz- 
bergen, and we observed, with pleasure, its pic¬ 
turesque glaciers and mountains rising to the height 
of nearly 3,000 feet, though inconsiderable compared 
with the mountains of Greenland. Far and wide not 
a fragment of ice was to be seen ; there was a hea\y 
swell on, the air was unusually warm (41® F.): in the 
evening rain fell, and on Aug. 4th, we had dense 
mists and driving snow-storms, which forced us to 
keep to the west of Admiralty Peninsula. During the 











114 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


night of Aug. 6th, the snow-storms were heavier than 
before, and the deck was quite covered. Towards 
(he north and west very close ice was seen, and since 
the temperature of the air, even with the winds in 
the southwest, remained constantly below zero, it was 
evident that the ice must stretch far in that direction 
also. Aug. 7th, we ran on the white barriers to the 
west of Admiralty Peninsula, and far to the north, 
beyond a broad field of ice, refraction indicated open 
water, and showed the forms of ‘Tschorny Nos’ 
floating in the air. 

"In the neighborhood of the Pankratjew Islands, a 
ship suddenly and unexpectedly appeared on the hori¬ 
zon, and endeavored to gain our attention by dis¬ 
charges from a mortar, and by the hoisting of flags. 
How great was our astonishment and our joy when 
we beheld the Austro-Hungarian flag at the peak of 
the Isbjorn. Both ships henceforth sailed in com¬ 
pany, and without meeting any hindrance in the ice- 
free coast-water, in a northerly direction. In the 
forenoon of August 13th, we came upon closer ice, 
amid mist and stormy weather, and the two ships 
anchored to some firm land-ice two cable-lengths 
from each other, about a mile from the land. Close 
to the south of us lay the Barentz Isles with their 
singularly formed hills, which the walrus-hunters call 
by the somewhat gloomy name of ‘ The Three Coffins.’ 
On our north an enormous iceberg rose in dazzling 
whiteness above a faintly glimmering field of ice, a 
harbinger of new countries—for its size forbade us to 
think that it owed its origin to the glaciers of Novaya 
Zemlya. Continuous winds from the W.S.W., close 
ice, mist, downfalls of snow, the necessity of deter¬ 
mining the geographical position of the depot of pro¬ 
visions which we had established, compelled us to lie 
for eight days before the Barentz Islands. The oppor¬ 
tunity we thus had of putting our feet once more on 
the land was exceedingly agreeable. 

“ Our involuntary leisure at the Barentz Isles enabled 
us to make some precautionary preparations for our 
future contests with the ice; for a ship may be 
crushed by the ice and sink in a few minutes, as had 
happened some days previously, not far from us, to 
the yachts Valborg and Iceland. Provisions and 
ammunition for four weeks were got ready, and each 
man was entrusted with a special service, if it should 
ever come to this extremity. To guard against the 
dreaded pressures of the ice, heavy beams were hung 
round the hull of the vessel, so that the pressure on 
the ship might be distributed over a larger surface 
and the vessel itself be raised instead of crushed. 

" August 14th, we were threatened by the advance 


of an enormous line of pack-ice, which inclosed us 
in the little ‘ docks ’ of the land-ice, and caused the 
Isbjorn to heel over. In the evening a bear came 
near this vessel, which was shot by Professor Hofer 
and Captain Kjelsen. On the following day, with 
the help of the dogs and sledges, we removed over 
the land-ice to ‘ The Three Coffins ’ the provisions 
which were to form the depot: 2,000 lbs. of rye- 
bread in casks, 1,000 lbs. of pease-sausages in tin 
cases. These were deposited in the crevice of a rock 
and secured against the depredations of bears. We 
felt assured of the conscientiousness of Russian or 
Norwegian fishermen, that they would make use of 
these provisions' only under the pressure of urgent 
necessity. This depot was intended to be the first 
place of refuge, in the event of the ship being lost. 

“ Both ships were dressed wdth flags, and round 
one common table we celebrated the birthday, August 
i8th, of the Emperor and King, Francis Joseph I. 
On August 19th we fetched some drift-wood from the 
land, and saw from a height an ‘ ice-hole ’ stretching 
to the north at no great distance from the coast. As 
we returned to the ship we came across a bear, which, 
being assailed by so many hunters at once, took to 
flight. August 2oth, some changes in the ice seemed 
to make navigation possible, and we forthwith went 
on board the Isbjorn to bid adieu to our friends. It 
w'as no common farewell. A separation to those who 
are themselves separated from the world moves the 
heart to its depths. But besides this, in bidding 
adieu to Count Wilczek, w'e felt how much we were 
indebted to him, as the man who had fostered the 
work we were about to undertake, who dreaded no 
danger while providing for our safety in the event of 
a catastrophe to the expedition. Our high-minded 
friend was at this moment the embodiment of our 
country, which, honoring us with its confidence and 
trust, demanded that we should devote all our ener¬ 
gies to the high objects of the expedition. Often 
afterwards did this adieu return to our memories. 
With a fresh wind from the northeast we passed the 
Isbjorn as we steamed towards the north, while this' 
vessel, veiled in mist, soon disappeared from our 
eyes. 

“ Our prospects, so far as the object of our expe¬ 
dition was concerned, had meantime not improved. 
To cross the Frozen Sea to Cape Tscheljuskin in the 
present year was not to be dreamt of, and yet the 
thought of wintering in the north of Novaya Zemlya 
was positively intolerable. The navigable water was 
becoming narrower every day, and the ice seemed to 
increase in solidity, especially in the neighborhood of 


DISCOVERIES OF THE " TEGETTHOEE "—iS/^iSy^. 


”5 




the coast. In the afternoon of this day we ran into 
an ‘ ice-hole,’ but in the night barriers of ice stopped 




THE “ TEOETTHOFF ” DRIFTING IN PACK-ICE, MARCH, 1873. 


our further progress. As usual, the ship was made 
fast to a floe, the steam blown off, and we awaited 
the parting asunder of the ice. Five walruses that 
had been watching us from a rock 
as we entered that ill-starred ‘ ice- 
hole,’ sprang into the water and 
disappeared. 

"Ominous were the events of 
that day, for immediately after we 
had made fast the Tegetthoff \o 
that floe, the ice closed in upon us 
from all sides and we became 
close prisoners in its grasp. No 
water was to be seen around us, 
and never again were we destined 
to see our vessel in water. Happy 
is it for men that inextinguishable 
hope enables them to endure all 
the vicissitudes of fate, which are 
to test their powers of endurance, 
and that they can never see, as 
at a glance, the long series of 
disappointments in store for them ! 

We must have been filled with 
despair, had we known that even¬ 
ing that we were henceforward 
doomed to obey the caprices of the 
ice, that the ship would never again float on the 
waters of the sea, that all the expectations with which 


our friends, but a few hours before, saw the Tegetthoff 
steam away to the north, were now crushed ; that 
we were, in fact, no longer discov¬ 
erers, but passengers against our 
will on the ice. From day to day we 
hoped for the hour of our deliver¬ 
ance ! At first we expected it hourly, 
then daily, then from week to week ; 
then at the seasons of the year and 
changes of the weather, then in the 
chances of new years! But that 
hour ne 7 ier came, yet the light of 
hope, which supports man in all his 
sufferings, and raises him above 
them all, never forsook us, amid all 
the depressing influence of expecta¬ 
tions cherished only to be disap¬ 
pointed. 

" Henceforth the Tegetthoff drifted 
in the Novaya Zemlya seas; it was 
impossible to reach the coast of 
Siberia, and the search for a winter 
harbor in the island perilous. The 
drift was towards the north, and, on Oct. 2d, they 
passed the 77“ N. Latitude. 

“ In the first days of October the temperature rose 


ICE PRESSURE IN THE POLAR NIGHT. 

considerably, the thermometer standing a little below 
zero (C.). This was due to southwest winds, and to 






















GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


116 

the temporary extension of the ‘ ice-holes ’ in our 
immediate neighborhood. The days now became 
shorter, the sun surrounded with red masses of 
clouds set behind barriers of blackish-blue ice, and 
an ever-deepening twilignt followed his disappear¬ 
ance. Sept. 29th, a ‘ snowfinch ’ flew from the coast 
of Nov'aya Zemlyato the ship, hopped about the deck 
for a little time, and after delighting us all by his little 
song, again left us. Some few sea-gulls still wended 
their flight to the spaces of water in our neighbor¬ 
hood. Skimming over the top of the mast, they 
seemed to gaze down upon us, and then, with a shrill 
cry, darted away like arrows towards the south. 
There was something melancholy in this departure of 
the birds; it seemed as if all creatures were retiring 
from the long reign of night which was before us. In 
order to divert our attention from the dreadful 
monotony of our captivity by some occupation in the 
open air, we fell on the plan of building houses of ice 
round the ship. The activity of a building-yard 
reigned on our ice-floe ; heavy ice-tables were broken 
or sawed through, the dogs in the sledges carried the 
fragments to their appointed places, and with these 
blocks we raised crystal walls and towers. Snow, 
mixed with sea-water, furnished an inexhaustible 
source of the most excellent mortar; and while we 
worked laboriously at these meaningless erections, we 
earned at least by our labor the reward of sleep free 
from care. 

“ As we drifted helplessly northward, the coasts of 
Novaya Zemlya receded gradually from our gaze. 
Hitherto we had lain close to the land, which, with its 
rounded mountains and valleys filled with glaciers, 
seemed a miniature of Alpine scenery. Daily almost 
the gigantic luminous arcs of parhelia stood above it, 
the usual precursors of stormy weather or heavy falls 
of snow. Towards the north and northeast the coun¬ 
try becomes flatter, and runs into glacier-wastes little 
raised above the level of the sea. Though this land 
was of no value for our object, yet it was still land, 
and it seemed also to us, drifting as we did, the sym¬ 
bol of the stable and immovable. But now it was 
gradually disappearing from our eyes. During 
September we had moved slowly, but with October 
we drifted at a greater rate, so that by the 12th of this 
month we saw nothing but a line of heights some 
thirty miles off, towards the south. At last every 
trace of land disappeared from our gaze ; a hopeless 
waste received us, in which no man could tell how 
long we should be, or how far we should penetrate. 

" The days were now becoming shorter, and, on 
Oct. 13th, the floe burst across, immediately under the 


ship. Rushing on deck we discovered that we were 
surrounded and squeezed by the ice ; the after-part of 
the ship was already nipped and pressed, and the rud¬ 
der, which was the first to encounter its assault, shook 
and groaned ; but as its great weight did not admit of 
its being shipped, we were content to lash it firmly. 
We next sprang on the ice, the tossing, tremulous 
motion of which literally filled the air with noises as 
of shrieks and howls, and we quickly got on board all 
the materials which were lying on the floe, and bound 
the fissures of the ice hastily together by ice-anchors 
and cables, filling them up with snow, in the hope 
that frost would complete our work, though we felt 
that a single heave might shatter our labors. But, 
just as in the risings of a people the wave of revolt 
spreads on every side, so now the ice uprose against 
us. Mountains threateningly reared themselves from 
out the level fields of ice, and the low groan which 
issued from its depths grew into a deep, rumbling 
sound, and at last rose into a furious howl as of 
myriads of voices. Noise and confusion reigned 
supreme, and step by step destruction drew nigh in 
the crashing together of the fields of ice. Our floe 
was now crushed, and its blocks, piled up into moun¬ 
tains, drove hither and thither. Here they towered 
fathoms high above the ship, and forced the protect¬ 
ing timbers of massive oak, as if in mockery of their 
purpose, against the hull of the vessel; there masses 
of ice fell down as into an abyss under the ship, to be 
engulfed in the rushing waters, so that the quantity of 
ice beneath the ship was continually increased, and at 
last it began to raise her quite above the level of the 
sea. About 11.30 in the forenoon, according to our 
usual custom, a portion of the Bible was read on 
deck, and this day, quite accidentally, the portion read 
was the history of Joshua; but if in his day the sun 
stood still, it was more than the ice now showed any 
inclination to do. 

“ The terrible commotion going on around us pre¬ 
vented us from seeing anything distinctly. The sky, 
too, was overcast, the sun’s place could only be con¬ 
jectured. In all haste we began to make ready to 
abandon the ship, in case it should be crushed, a fate 
which seemed inevitable, if she w’ere not sufficiently 
raised through the pressure of the ice. About 12.30 
the pressure reached a frightful height, every part of 
the vessel strained and groaned ; the crew, who had 
been sent down to dine, rushed on deck. The Tegett- 
hoff had heeled over on her side, and huge piles of ice 
threatened to precipitate themselves upon them. But 
the pressure abated, and the ship righted herself; and 
about one o’clock, when the danger was in some 


DISCOVERIES OE THE ‘'TEGETTH 0 EE"—iS 72 -iS-] 4 . 


117 


degree over, the crew went below to dine. But again 
a strain was felt through the vessel, everything which 
hung freely began to oscillate violently, and all 
hastened on deck, some with the unfinished dinner in 
their hands, others stuffing it into their pockets. 
Calmly and silently, amid the loud sounds emitted by 
the ice in its violent movement, the officers assumed 
and carried out the special duty which had been 
assigned to each in the contemplated abandonment of 
the ship. Lieutenant Weyprecht got ready the boats, 
Brosch and Orel cleared out the supply of provision 


and sizes of it were in active motion, some rearing 
up, some turning and twisting, none on the level. A 
sledge would at once have been swallowed up, and in 
this very circumstance lay the horror of our situation, 
for, if the ship should sink, whither should we go, 
even with the smallest stock of provisions }—amid 
this confusion, how reach the land, thirty miles dis¬ 
tant, without the most indispensable necessaries } 

“ The dogs, too, demanded our attention. They had 
sprung on chests, and stared on the waves of ice as 
they rose and roared. Every trace of his fox-nature 



THE AURORA DURING THE ICE PRESSURE. 


to be taken in them ; Kepes, our doctor, had an eye 
to his drugs; the Tyrolese opened the magazine, and 
got out the rifles and ammunition—I myself attended 
to the sledges, the tents, and the sacks for sleeping 
in, and distributed to the crew their fur coats. We 
now stood ready to start—each with a bundle— 
whither, no one pretended to know ! For not a frag¬ 
ment of the ice around us had remained whole; 
nowhere could the eye discover a still perfect and un¬ 
injured floe to serve as a place of refuge, as a vast 
floe had before been to the crew of the Hansa. Nay, 
not a block, not a table of ice was at rest, all shapes 


had disappeared from ‘ Sumbu.’ His look, at other 
times so full of cunning, had assumed an expression 
of timidity and humility, and, unbidden, he offered his 
paw to all passers by. The Lapland dog, little Pekel, 
sprang upon me, licked my hand, and looked out on 
the ice as if he meant to ask me what all this meant. 
The large Newfoundlands stood motionless, like 
scared chamois, on the piles of chests. 

“ About 4 P.M. the pressure moderated; an hour 
afterwards there was a calm, and with more compo¬ 
sure we could now survey our position. The car¬ 
penter shovelled away the snow from the deck in order 
























Ii8 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


to inspect the seams. They were still uninjured. The 
knees and cross-beams still held, and no very great 
quantity of water was found in the hold. This result 
we owed solely to the strength of our ship and to her 
fine lines, which enabled her to rise when nipped and 
pressed, while her interior, so well laden as to become 
a solid body, increased her powers of resistence. 
Everything was again restored to its place, so that it 
was possible to go up and down the cabin stairs with¬ 
out great difficulty, and in the evening the water in the 
hold, which had risen 13 inches, was pumped out to its 
normal depth of 6 inches. We went down into the 
cabin to rest, but though thankful and joyful for the 
issue, our minds were clouded with care and anxiety. 
Henceforth we regarded every noise with suspicious 
apprehensions, like a population which lives within an 
area of earthquakes. The long winter nights and 
their fearful cold were before us; we were drifting 
into unknown regions, utterly uncertain of the end. 
When night came, we fell asleep with our clothes on, 
though our sleep was disturbed every now and then 
by onsets of the ice, recurring less frequently and in 
diminished force ; but daily—and for one hundred and 
thirty days —we went through the same experiences in 
greater or lesser measure, almost always in sunless 
darkness. It was, however, a fortunate circumstance 
for us that we encountered the first assaults of the ice 
at a time when we were still able to see ; for instead 
of the calm preparations we were able to make, 
hurry and confusion would have been inevitable 
had these assaults surprised us amid the Polar 
darkness. 

The end, however, was not yet. Christmas came 
and went, and the New Year saw \h&Tegetthoff lying 
like a white spectre in a mountain of ice. All through 
the long winter the ship drifted to the North, on 
gloomy days noon was not distinguishable, and not 
till February 19th did the sun return to their Lat. yS'*, 
15'. Thence onward the time crept with indescrib¬ 
able monotony, and the frozen sea still lay like a chaos 
before them. Spring passed without any movement 
deserving of record, and summer was well advanced, 
till on August 30th, as the men were leaning over the 
bulwarks of the ship, a wall of mist suddenly rising, 
revealed the outlines of bold rocks. “ Land, Land,” 
was the cry of all on board, the ship was decked with 
flags and the health of Franz Josef drunk joyfully. 
But it was not till the end of September that any 
attempt to reach the land could be made, and that was 
frustrated by a heavy mist. On November ist land 
was clearly seen, and a rush over the ice was made 
and at last the feet of the explorers stepped on a wild¬ 


erness which seemed to them a paradise, and they 
named it Wilczek Island. On November 6th they 
reached a point on the northwest, beyond 80° north 
latitude, whence they could see the mainland, but 
before it was visited a second winter had to be passed; 
a winter free from the perils which had harassed them 
the year before. The winter was again passed on 
board the Tegetthoff, and on February 24th the sun 
reappeared. On that day the commanders, Wey- 
precht and Payer, resolved to abandon the ship after 
the completion of some projected sledge-journeys, 
and to attempt to return to Europe by boats and 
sledges. The sledge parties were under the com¬ 
mand of Lieutenant Payer, and on March loth, they 
left the ship, and, after severe labor in dragging the 
sledges over the hummocky ice and on the 12th they 
set up their tent under the dark towers of basalt which 
stand out before Cape Tegetthoff. The ascent was 
difficult and the \dew from the summit limited. On 
the following day a start was made amid intense cold 
which increased till March 14th, proved the coldest 
day of the expedition Yet on that day Payer climbed 
the Sinklar Glazier, and witnessed the sun, rise blood 
red through the mists and surrounded with parhelia, 
and then commenced their return to the ship which 
they reached after an exhausting journey. 

“ As I entered my berth,” Lieutenant Payer writes, 
” I heard the hard breathing of our poor comrade 
Krisch. For more than a week he had lain without 
consciousness; yet death had not come to relieve him. 
On the afternoon of the i6th of March a sudden ces¬ 
sation of all sound told us that he was no more ! Next 
day, his body, placed in a coffin, was brought on deck, 
and our flag hoisted half-mast high. On the 19th, 
when the thermometer was at 13° F., the body was 
committed to its lonely grave in the far north. A 
mournful procession left the ship, with a sledge, on 
which rested the coffin covered with a flag and cross, 
and wended its way to the nearest elevation on the 
shore of Wilczek Island. Silently struggling against 
the drifting snow, we marched on, dragging our bur¬ 
den through desolate reaches of snow, till we arrived, 
after a journey of an hour and a half, at the point we 
sought on the island. Here in a fissure between 
basaltic columns, we deposited his earthly remains, 
filling up the cavity with stones, which we loosened 
with much labor, and which the wind as we stood 
there, covered with wreaths of snow. We read the 
prayer for the dead over him, who had shared in our 
sufferings and trials, but who was not destined to 
return home with us with the news of our success; 
and close by the spot, surrounded with every- symbol 


DISCOVERIES OF THE 


TEGETTHOFF ” — 1S72-1874. 


of death and far from the haunts of men, we raised as 
our farewell a simple wooden cross.” 

The second sledge journey was based on the ex¬ 
periences acquired in the first one, just described. It 
was determined to make it one of a month's dura¬ 
tion, and directed to the north. 

Before we started, there was an interesting inter¬ 
ruption in the monotony of our lives, occasioned by a 
family of bears. While we were absent in our first 
journey a bear had been shot from the ship, and little 
Pekel had been wounded in the neck. On the 19th 


119 

forty paces, fell dead. Amazed at the reports of the 
rifles and the actions of their mother, the little bears 
sat as if they were rooted in the snow, and looked 
with astonishment at the dark forms which rushed out 
from the ship. One of them suffered itself to be 
shaken by Pekel; and only when they were seized by 
the nape of the neck and carried on board did they 
seem to entertain the least surmise of mischief. At 
first they were shut up separately in casks set on their 
end, and growled long and impatiently till they were 
put together in the same cask. Sumbu alone was 



THE FIRST ABANDONMENT OF THE “TEGETTHOFF.” 


of March another bear came close to us, which was 
scared away after some unsuccessful shots had been 
fired at it. Three days afterwards a she-bear ap¬ 
peared accompanied by her two cubs, of a darker 
color than their mother, rolling on after her. It was 
exceedingly interesting to watch the actions of this 
; family. The mother frequently stopped and snuffed 
the air with uplifted snout; then she would lick her 
y cubs, who fondly crept up to their mother, behaving 
exactly like young poodles, which they also resembled 
J'" in size. Six shots were fired at seventy paces dis- 
t tance, and the mother-bear, after running for about 


slow to understand our suddenly-excited pity for his 
hereditary foes, and scratched and barked at the cask 
for hours together, while the cubs growled and threat¬ 
ened retaliation with their little paws. After looking 
at this for some time, Gillis was moved to side with 
the bears, and a battle ensued between him and 
Sumbu, in which the latter got the worst of it. The 
little animals afforded us much amusement, and the 
crew were seriously considering the feasibility of 
training them to draw in the sledge, iji the meditated 
return expedition to Europe. They jj.te bread, sauer¬ 
kraut, bacon—in short, everything that \yas given 

















120 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


them. One morning, however, the little rascals eluded 
the eye of the watch and got away. They were im¬ 
mediately caught and killed, and appeared roasted on 
our dinner-table. 

“ On the 25th of March our preparations for the 
extended journey northwards were brought to an end. 
The sledge with its load weighed about 14 cwt. 

“We started on the morning of the 26th of March 
with the thermometer 6° F. below zero, and amid 
snow driving from the northwest. For some distance 
we were accompanied by Weyprecht and the rest of 
the crew. We had scarcely gone a thousand paces 
from the ship, before the snow began to drive to such 
an extent, that we could scarcely see our comrades 
close to us and keep together. As it was impossible 
to go on until the storm laid, we preferred, instead of 
returning to the Tegetthoff, which would have been 
the simpler course, to erect the tent out of sight of 
the ship behind some ice-hummocks, and pass twenty- 
four hours in it. Our only employment except sleep¬ 
ing was to thaw the snow, which filled our clothes 
and especially our pockets. After passing the head¬ 
land of Salen Island, we saw at a distance ahead, 
several rocky islands, and on March 29th ascended 
Koldewez Island. 

“ From the summit of this island we suddenly beheld, 
in the field of view of the telescope of the theodolite, 
a bear, which had seized one of our men and severely 
wounded him. But almost immediately again the 
bear disappeared in the snow, and when we came to 
the place of his disappearance, we discovered the 
winter retreat of a family of bears. It was a cavity 
hollowed out in a mass of snow lying under a rocky 
wall. The bear had shown herself only once, but re¬ 
sisted all our efforts to seduce her to leave the shelter 
she had chosen, nor had we any special desire to 
creep on all fours into the narrow dark habitation. 
Sumbu only was bold enough to follow her, but he 
too saw things which led him to return very quickly. 
From the snow which had been thrown up at the 
entrance of this hole, we inferred that this had been 
the work of the bear in her efforts to close the ap¬ 
proach to her abode. It was the first time that we 
came upon a family of bears in their winter quarters, 
or had the chance of adding anything to our scanty 
knowledge as to the winter sleep of those animals. 

“ As we advanced the temperature fell and a strong 
northwest wind prevented further progress. There 
was nothing for it therefore but to set up the tent 
again and to get back into our sleeping-bag. But 
the damp tent was frozen hard, and we felt much as 
if we were lying between two plates of cold metal. 


It would be difficult to say whether we suffered more 
from cold than from vexation. Zaninovich spread the 
sail over us, and shovelled down the snow from the 
walls of the tent. Who could be so serviceable as this 
comrade of ours, who on every occasion displayed 
such hardihood against cold ? Orel and I made vain 
attempts to shorten the time by reading a volume of 
Lessing which we had brought with us; but we soon 
renounced the effort, finding that we could not fix our 
attention in such a situation. We had some com¬ 
pensation, however, in the amusement of listening to 
the Dalmatians learning to speak German with Klotz, 
who was far from the weakness of uttering a single 
word in Italian. As usual, when the weather was 
bad, the dogs gathered close to the wind-sheltered 
side of our tent. Sumbu, forcing himself in among us, 
had to be driven out, for he growled if he had the 
faintest suspicion that we meant to move or to 
smoke; but failing to make himself comfortable 
among the other dogs, he avenged himself by again 
rushing in among us, shaking the snow from his coat, 
and forced us to admit him. 

“ Poor Sumbu met a sad fate not many days after. 
A gull flew over his head, and Sumbu burst away 
from the sledge. In hot pursuit of the bird he dis¬ 
appeared from our sight and never returned again. 
All our shouts were thrown away. Our track 
was soon covered over by the drifting snow, and 
there cannot be a doubt that our faithful com¬ 
panion, after wandering about for days, either 
died of hunger or fell a victim to a bear. During our 
march, spying us at a great distance, a bear ap¬ 
proached us at a rapid pace, but when he came 
within forty paces he fell, receiving three bullets in 
his head. 

“As we approached the promontory on the south of 
Rudolf Land we came upon innumerable icebergs, 
and crossed the Middendorf Glacier. 

“ By and by we came to more snow, and the ice, 
through which many fissures ran, became gradually 
thinner; but when we reached the imposing head¬ 
land, which we called Cape Auk, the ice lay in forced- 
up barriers. A strange change had come over the 
aspect of nature. A dark water-sky appeared in the 
north, and heavy mists rolled down to the steep pro¬ 
montories of Karl Alexander Land ; the temperature 
rose to 10° F., our track became moist, the snow¬ 
drifts collapsed under us with a loud noise, and if we 
had previously been surprised with the flight of birds 
from the north, we now found all the rocky precipices 
of Rudolf’s Land covered with thousands of auks and 
divers. Enormous flocks of birds flew up and filled 


DISCOVERIES OF THE ''TEGETTHOFF"—1872-1874. 


121 


the air, and the whole region seemed alive with their 
incessant whirring. We met everywhere with traces 
of bears and foxes. Seals lay on the ice, but sprang 
into the water before we got within shot of them. 
But notwithstanding these signs of a richer animal 
life, we should not be justified in inferring, from what 
we saw in a single locality, that life increases as we 
move northwards. It was a venial exaggeration, if 
amid such impressions we pronounced for the near¬ 
ness of an open Polar sea, and, without doubt, all 
adherents of this opinion, had they come with us to 


land was no longer visible towards the north. The 
12th of April was the last day of the advance north¬ 
ward, and on Cape Fligely we proudly hoisted the 
Austro-Hungarian flag, for the first time, in the high 
north. The following document we inclosed in a 
bottle, and deposited it in a cleft of rock ; 

“ ‘ Some members of the Austro-Hungarian North 
Pole Expedition have here reached their highest 
point in 82.5'’ N. L., after a march of seventeen days 
from the ship, lying inclosed in ice in 79° 51' N. L. 
They observed open water of no great extent along 



DEPARTURE OF THE SUN IN THE SECOND WINTER. 


this point and no further, would have found in these 
signs fresh grounds to support their belief. In 
enumerating these observations, I am conscious what 
attractions they must have for every one who still 
leans to the opinion that an open ocean will be found 
at the Pole; subsequent experience, however, will 
show how little is their value in support of this anti¬ 
quated hypothesis. 

“ Passing Cape Auk we saw ahead of us two rock 
towers, which we named Cape L’Oiiler, or the Cape of 
Columns. Close under it we came upon the steep 
edge of the glaciers, and, on ascending the heights. 


the coast, bordered by ice, reaching in a north and 
northwesterly direction to masses of land, whose 
mean distance from this highest point might be from 
sixty to seventy miles, but whose connection it was 
impossible to determine. After their return to the 
ship, it is the intention of the whole crew to leave this 
land and return home. The hopeless condition of the 
ship and the numerous cases of sickness constrain 
them to this step.’ 

“ The ship was 160 miles distant; but where was 
she ? Had she drifted, or remained stationary ? The 
journey was an arduous one, and when nearly two- 





















122 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


thirds of the journey was over, we saw the sea ahead 
of us, and no white edge beyond. Walls of forced-up 
ice surrounded this water, which, stirred by a heavy 
wind, threw up crested waves ; the spray of its surf 
dashed itself for a distance of thirty yards over the 
icy shore. Forthwith ascending an iceberg, we 
looked over the dark waste of water, in which the 
icebergs, under which we had passed a month before, 
were now floating; the more distant of them stood 
out against the arch of light on the horizon, and those 
nearer to us shone with a dazzling brilliancy under the 
dark water-sky. That on which lay our dep6t of 
provisions was floating in the midst of them; and 
here we were, without a boat, almost without pro¬ 
visions, and fifty-five miles distant from the ship ! A 
strong current was running southwards at the rate of 
three or four miles an hour; fragments of ice were 
driving before the wind, as if they meant to delight us 
by their movements, and as if there were no change 
for the worse to a handful of men, who stood in 
reality before an impassable abyss. 

“ Soon everything was veiled in mist, and then 
came driving snow, and it was with great difficulty 
that we could drag our sledges onward. On April 
22d, we reached Schonan Island, and continued our 
route close under Koldewez Island, while the lofty 
pinnacle of Cape Berghaus stood out sharply against 
the sky. The passage between Solen and Wilczek 
Island was soon reached, and there, at a distance of 
three miles, lay the ship. 

“ On May 20th it was resolved to abandon the 
Tegetthoff. Yet we could not see without emotion the 
flags nailed to the masts of the Tegetthoff, and the 
final preparations to leave the ship, which had been 
our home for two weary years, and in which we had 
confronted the perils of the frozen sea, its ice- 
pressures, its storms, and its cold. These recollec¬ 
tions crowded upon us as the moment came to 
abandon her. Now, too, we had to part with our 
zoological, botanical, and geological collections, the 
result of so much labor; the ample collection of in¬ 
struments, the books which had helped us over many 
1 weary hour, and the sixty-seven bear-skins which 
we had so carefully prepared—all these had also to be 
abandoned. The photographs of friends and 
acquaintances we hung on the rocky walls ashore, 
preferring to leave them there rather than in the ship, 
which must some time or other be driven ashore and 
go to pieces. A document stating the grounds of our 
decision was laid on the table of the mess-room. 

“ Three boats were selected for the return expedi¬ 
tion, to each of which a large sledge was attached. 


The first day’s work for twenty-three men, harnessed 
to boat or sledge, was the advance of one mile, but 
often we only progressed half a mile, as each portion 
of the track had to be passed over three times, three 
times heavily laden, twice empty. On the 28th an ice- 
hole was reached, but it was not till the 19th of June 
that the boats were launched. Payer’s diary reads: 

“ ‘ June 30.—A small ‘ ice-hole,’ and then a large 
ice-field were crossed, and as we were in the act of 
passing over a lead filled with broken ice, it sud¬ 
denly closed, and we had to draw our boats up again, 
and to wait till the ice should part asunder. The 
snow has become quite soft, and we find water at the 
bottom of a hole, and employ it for the first time for 
cooking. The dogs to-day drew 12 cwt., and are 
quite exhausted. I had my hair cut by Klotz, and, 
with many apologies for my poverty, offered him some 
water in compensation—an offer he declined. In the 
Arctic Seas, even to the doctor, a glass of water is a 
handsome fee.’ 

“ So it runs on for weeks together in my journal; 
and if it be tiresome for readers to follow such repeti¬ 
tions, how much more wearisome must it have been 
to live through and experience them ! Yet if it were 
possible for our situation to become worse, it did so 
during the first half of the following month. One of 
the scenes that occurred almost daily was pushing the 
floes assunder with long poles, in order that the boat 
might pass between them, while the rotary motion of 
the floe closes the fissure in the foreground, so that 
another boat has to be drawn on the ice as quickly as 
possible. 

“ It sometimes happened that we could not push the 
floes asunder, and we were then compelled to cross 
them; and in those cases where the floes were a mile 
or more in diameter, our progress took the form of 
sledging. The provision was sent on for some dis¬ 
tance to the nearest water, and the boats, which re¬ 
mained behind under the care of the less able-bodied 
of our party, were lifted on to the sledge by the 
rest of the crew when it returned, and firmly secured. 
The smallest of our boats was shoved through the 
snow while the dogs with their sledge transported the 
bags of bread and the spirit. 

“ So onward the explorers toiled, their only excite¬ 
ment being the chase of a bear, and for days to¬ 
gether, their only distraction being the calking of 
the boats. 

“ About six o’clock in the evening we had reached 
the extreme edge of the ice-barrier, and once more, 
but for the last time, drew our boats on a floe. Again 
our ears heard the noise of the waves—the voice of 



ABANDONING THE TKGETTHOFF. 





























































































































































































































































124 


GJ?EA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


life to us. Again we saw the white foam of the 
surge, and felt as if we had awoke from a death-like 
slumber of years to a new existence. But if our joy 
at deliverence was great, not less great was our 
astonishment to have reached the ice-barrier in the 
high latttude of 70® 40', and with it the hope of final 
escape. We went to rest for some hours, but were 
roused by the watch about two o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing. The east wind had gathered some heavy masses 
of ice around us, which rose and fell with the swell of 
the ocean, and we were already several hundred 
yards from the water’s edge. Any delay in escaping 
as quickly as possible would require the labors of 
many days to ’set us free again. After much shoving 
with the poles, and lading and unlading, we again got 
beyond the line of ice. The frozen ocean lay behind 
us, and on our last floe we made preparations for our 
voyage on the open sea. 

“Yet a boat voyage on the Arctic Seas is no holiday 
affair, the coast was usually inaccessible, no ship was 
seen in the Matoschin Straits, and the only hope was 
to press onward to the Bay of Danes on the chance of 
finding a ship there. But the hour of our deliverance 
was nearer than we thought. It was evening as we 
glided past the black, weather-worn rocks of Cape 
Britwin, the ledges of which were covered with flocks 
of birds, revelling in the spray of the surf. Then 
about seven o’clock a cry of joy as from one voice 
arose from the boats. A fifth small boat with two 
men in it lay before us, apparently engaged in bird 
catching. They pulled towards us, not less amazed 
than we ourselves were, and before either party could 
explain itself, we turned a corner of the rock—there 
lay two ships. It is with a certain kind of awe and 
reverence that a shipwrecked man approaches a ship, 
whose slender build is to deliver him from the capri¬ 
cious power of the elements. To him it is no lifeless 
machine, but a friend in need, yea, a higher creation 
than himself. Such were our feelings as we neared 
the two schooners which lay a few hundred yards off 
in a rock-encircled bay. To us at that moment these 
vessels were the sum total of the whole world! 
Dressing our boats with flags, we followed the 
strangers in their boat, and made fast to the schooner 
Nikolai, whose deck was in a moment crowded with 
bearded Russians, who stared at us with mingled 
feelings of wonder and sympathy, and whose captain. 


Feodor Voronin, stood like a patriarch among 
them to welcome us. 

“ No grandees could have been received with more 
dignity than we were. At the sight of the two 
Ukases, which we had received from St. Petersburg, 
and which required all inhabitants of the Russian 
Empire to furnish us with all the help we needed, 
these humble seamen bared their heads, and bowed 
themselves to the earth. We had an example before 
us to show how orders are obeyed by the subjects of 
that Empire a thousand miles from the place where 
they were issued. But we were received not only in 
this reverential manner, but were welcomed with the 
greatest heartiness, and the best of everything on 
board was spread before us. 

“ Since we abandoned the Tegetthoff, we had 
passed ninety-six days in the open air, and, including 
the sledge journeys which preceded the abandonment 
of the ship, about five months. The impressions of 
a return to life were felt by us with silent yet deep 
thankfulness of heart. 

“The ships we found in ‘ Dunen Bai ’—the Bay of 
Dunes—came from Archangel, and were engaged in 
the salmon fishery, at the mouth of the Puhova 
River. They had taken very little, and their purpose 
was to remain where we found them for fourteen 
days longer, and to spend about the same number in 
fishing and hunting at the southern extremity of 
Novaya Zemlya. This programme was not exactly to 
our taste. To spend a month in a fishing-vessel, just 
as we awoke to the remembrance of all the comforts 
and pleasures there are in the world, to sleep in the 
hold where cholera lurked among bear and reindeer 
hides, amid heaps of salmon and reindeer flesh, 
among nets and oil casks—such a prospect was not 
to be thought of. Accordingly, we agreed with 
Captain Voronin that he should leave off his fishing 
and take us without delay to Vardb, in Norway, that 
we should give him in return for his services three of 
our boats, two Lefauchur rifles, and guarantee him 
the further compensation of 1,200 silver roubles.” 

On the 3d of September, 812 days after the TegetG 
hoff had left Bremerhaven, the returning explorers 
sighted the little harbor of Vardo, and on the 5th the 
mail steamer from Vardo to Hamburg took them on 
board, and the Austrian Polar expedition was at an 
end. 


NOR THE A S T PA SSA GE— THE “ VEGA "-iSrS-iSyg. 


125 


CHAPTER XIII. 

NORTHEAST PASSAGE—THE “ VEGA ”—1878-1879. 



After the English ex¬ 
pedition of 1676 there 
occurs an interval of 
nearly 200 years without 
any endeavor to make 
the Northeast passage. 
The country that now 
took up the great ques¬ 
tion was Austria, which, 
in 1872, sent out an ex¬ 
pedition subsidized by 
private individuals. The 
ship bore the name of 
Admiral Tegetthoff, and 
was commanded by Lieu¬ 
tenant Weytprecht, who 
was accompanied by 
Lieutenant Payer, as 
leader of all land excur¬ 
sions. Of the vessel’s 
being frozen in on the west coast of Novaya Zemlia, 
of its wonderful drifting with the ice and consequent 
discovery of a new land, and of the crew’s fortunate 
escape, it is not necessary here to speak. The at¬ 
tempt made by this expedition to reach the North¬ 
east passage proved unsuccessful, inasmuch as it 
gained no point farther than its predecessors with the 
same object. 

A more fortunate issue has been reserved for the 
thirteenth expedition organized to circumnavigate the 
north coast of Asia—the Swedish Arctic Expedition 
of 1878. Of its equipment and voyage, I will now 
give some account. When Professor A. E. Norden- 
skibld, during the years 1875-76, crossed without 
difficulty the Kara Sea which had hitherto been re¬ 
garded as unnavigable, and penetrated to the mouth 
of the Yenisei River which in the former year he 
sailed up returning home overland by Siberia, it oc¬ 
curred to him that, with a good steamer, one could 
sail still farther east along the north coast of Siberia 
to Behring Strait. In the programme which Profes¬ 
sor .Nordenskiold drew out for the promotion of an 


expedition with the object of sailing through the 
Northeast Passage, he mentions as ground for the 
possibility of such a voyage, among other reasons, 
that the warm current which is formed by Siberia’s 
many and powerful rivers, and the direction of which, 
by reason of the earth’s revolution, ought to be from 
west to east, would be so strong, and would so beat 
up the water lying nearest the coast that a navigable 
stream must be found there during the late summer 
months—namely, August and September. This opin¬ 
ion proved perfectly correct. Supported by the re¬ 
sults of the successful voyages of 1875-76, and the 
opinion just mentioned. Professor Nordenskiold suc¬ 
ceeded in interesting his Majesty, the King of Swe¬ 
den, Mr. Oscar Dickson, merchant, and Mr. Alexan¬ 
der Sebirckoff, a Russian naine-owner, in his project. 
They undertook to defray the expenses of the expe¬ 
dition. Afterwards aid was obtained also from the 
Swedish Government, who liberally allowed $7,500 
for the repairing of the ship to be used by the expe¬ 
dition, and permitted the work to be executed at the 
Royal Dockyards at Carlscrona. 

The steamship Vega was bought for the expedition 
from a Swedish Sealing Company for the sum of 
$42,500. The Vega was a bark-rigged steamer, built 
in 1872 for seal and whale fishing in the Arctic seas, 
and, consequently, the exigencies of ice navigation 
had been duly considered in her construction. The 
vessel was 500 tons burthen, and its dimensions were : 
Extreme length, 150 feet; breadth, 29 feet; depth of 
hold, 16 feet. It was provided with an engine of 60 
horse-power, on Woolf’s principle, which gives the 
vessel a speed of seven knots, with a coal consumpt 
of three cwt. per hour. The Vega which was not 
permitted to carry the royal flag sailed during the 
whole expedition under the flag of the Royal Swedish 
Yacht Club. 

After having undergone considerable reparation of 
masts, sails, hull, and machinery, at the Royal Dock¬ 
yards, the Vega left Carlscrona on the 22d of June, 
1878. The ship’s company was made up of the fol¬ 
lowing officers, commissioned and non-commissioned. 





126 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


and men on leave of absence from the Royal Navy; 
Lieutenant Palander, commander; Lieutenant E. 
Brusewitz, F. A. Pettersson, engineer; R. Nilsson, 
sailingmaster ; three firemen, of whom one acted as 



A. E. NORDENSKIOLD. 


Gothenburg on the following day. At Gothen¬ 
burg, the following gentlemen embarked; F. R. 
Kjellman, botanist. Fellow of Upsala University; 
Dr. A. Stuxberg, zoologist; O. Nordqvist, lieu¬ 
tenant in the Russian army, interpreter and 
zoologist; Dr. S. Almgvist, medical officer of the 
expedition, and a personal attendant for Professor 
Nordenskibld. Provision and coal supply were com¬ 
pleted here; and also they shipped the scientific 
equipment, sledges, and pemmican for sledge jour¬ 
neys, and two collie dogs, bought in Scotland. 

On the afternoon of the 4th July they left Gothen¬ 
burg, not again to see the dear shores of their native 
land for nearly two years. A stiff, contrary wind de¬ 
layed the voyage to the next place of destination, 
Tromsoe, where they did not arrive until July 17th. 
Here embarked the leader of the expedition. Profes¬ 
sor Nordenskiold. and three Norwegian fishermen. 

The number was now complete and made thirty 
men all told, comprising nine officers and scientists, 
three non-commissioned officers, and eighteen of a 
crew. In Tromsoe a full supply of water and coals 
was taken in; also a parcel of furs and sundry other 



second engineer; four able seamen, and four ordinary 
seamen ; seven boatmen; one carpenter. Besides 
the crew, the was accompanied from Carls- 

crona by Lieutenants A. Hovgaard and G. Bove, be¬ 
longing respectively to the Danish and 
Italian navies—the former the physiographer 
of the expedition, the latter its hydrographer. 

Both of these officers had been residing at 
Carlscronato be present at the equipment of 
the ship. From Carlscrona she went to 
Copenhagen, from whence almost all the 
supplies estimated for thirty men for twenty- 
four months were taken in. In provisioning 
the ship special care was paid to the regi¬ 
men which must be followed during an 
Arctic voyage; consequently the supplies 
consisted chiefly of preserved foods. In the 
choice of provisions, care was taken to ob¬ 
tain everything of the best quality. Among 
other articles of supply taken to avert the 
pest of the Arctic region, scurvy, may be 
mentioned—lime juice, pickled cabbage, con¬ 
centrated rum, pickles, preserved vege¬ 
tables, mulberry-jam, dried fruit, and pre¬ 
served cream. After some days’ stay at 
Copenhagen, necessary for the shipment and 
stowage of the supplies, the explorers left 
there on the 26th of June, and arrived at 


A. E. NORDENSKIOLD {/as^ Voyage). 






AOJi THE A S T PA SSA GE—' ‘ THE VEGA ’ '—iSyS-iSrg. 


12 / 


articles. At their departure from Tromsoe the coal 
supply consisted of nearly 225 tons. At the lowest 
reckoning with deduction of fuel for galley and stores 
it was estimated that the Vega could, solely with the 
assistance of her engine, make more than 4,000 miles, 
which nearly corresponded to the distance between 
Tromsoe and Behring Strait. From private sources 
the crew had been provided with under-vests, 
drawers, stockings (long and short), and mitts of 
wool, sail-cloth boots, fur mitts, fur caps, hoods, and 
snow spectacles, etc. The captain writes: 

On the 21 St of July we steamed out of Tromsoe har¬ 
bor, accompanied by the steamer Lena, which was to 
go with us to the mouth of the river Lena, proceed 
up that river to Yakutsk, and thereafter be employed 
in the conveyance of passengers and goods. After 
having been compelled by severe storm to take refuge 
for three days in a bay near North Cape, we ulti¬ 
mately got out to sea on the 25th of July, A pretty 
stiff breeze, with heavy sea, soon brought about our 
separation from our lesser companion the Lena ; and 
we did not again see her until the 31st of July, the 
day after we anchored at our rendezvous, Yugorscharr, 
the sound lying between Waigatz Island (south of 
Novaya Zemlia) and the mainland. At Yugorscharr 
we also met other two vessels, the steamer Fraser 
and the bark Express, which, through Prof. Norden- 
skibld, had been chartered for account of Herr Sibiri- 
koff, to load a cargo of grain and tallow at the mouth 
of the Yenisei. At Yugorscharr there is a village 
of which the inhabitants are partly Samoiedes, partly 
Russian. The Samoiedes there settled were Christ¬ 
ians, spoke pretty fair Russian, and had a church of 
their own, although it was little better or larger than 
a very small and poor wooden hovel. They are a 
people of very small stature, with broad faces, promi¬ 
nent cheek-bones, yellow complexion, oblique eyes, 
and flat noses. Their costume is much like that worn 
by the Lapps. They live on what they catch of seals 
and fish. The Russians in the village remain there 
only during summer, during which season they fish 
and barter goods with the Samoiedes, returning in 
the autumn to the interior of Russia. They usually 
have their homes in Petchora or that district. 

On the 1st of August, with beautiful weather, all 
four vessels (the Express in tow of the Fraser') left 
their anchorage at Yugorscharr and were soon in the 
Kara Sea, which was then completely free from ice 
as far as the eye could reach. At the entrance into 
the Kara Sea the scientific work of the expedition 
began. From that day were instituted complete 
meteorological observations, dredging, sounding. 


investigations of the temperature, and of the specific 
gravity of the water at different depths. Early on 
the morning of August 3d they met the first drift-ice^ 
which was, however, of such a description as could 
be easily passed through. With the object of avoid¬ 
ing contact with more compact and stronger ice, 
they steered down towards the coast of the Samoiede 
Peninsula, which was followed as close as the shallow 
water permitted. The land, which is properly only 
a sandbank cast up by the powerful river Obi, could 
not be seen, althongh the atmosphere was quite clear. 
They met here only spread and easily navigable 
drift-ice. 

The Lena, with Hovgaard, Almqvist and Nordq- 
vist on board, was sent off to investigate the sound 
lying between the peninsula and White Island, but 
found it impossible on account of the numerous sand¬ 
banks, to go through it. As a result of very nasty 
weather, and the poverty of the land in animal and 
vegetable life, the harvest reaped by the scientific 
party on this occasion was somewhat meagre. 

On the 4th of August they rounded the point of 
White Island in water entirely free from ice. Here 
they met a stiff breeze from the north, which, in con¬ 
junction with a high cross sea in three or four 
fathoms of water, was anything but agreeable, par¬ 
ticularly as no trustworthy chart of these regions is 
yet to be had. The water was of a brown color, pre¬ 
cisely similar to that of many of the rivers in Sweden. 
Danger of stranding, however, does not exist, even 
although one should happen to be near the flat shores 
of the White Island during a storm, because the 
powerful current from the confluence of the Obi and 
Yenisei rivers in the neighborhood of the above 
island sets north during the summer season with a 
velocity of three to five knots. 

On the 6th of August we anchored beside one of 
the group of islands which lie outside Dickson’s Har¬ 
bor. Two hours later the Express and the Fraser 
anchored near us. In the afternoon, after the course 
had been examined by the steam-launch, we went 
further in, and anchored in the harbor, which is well 
protected by land on all sides. The following day, 
the Lena arrived from its exploring expedition. Both 
in Yugorscharr and Dickson’s Harbor, the Lena, as 
well as the Vega, took coal supplies from the Ex¬ 
press, which had carried about 400 tons of coal from 
London instead of ballast. By these vessels letters 
and telegrams were despatched to be further trans¬ 
mitted from Norway. 

On the 9th of August the Express left us in tow of 
the Fraser, and steered for the Arctic Sea. The 


128 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


course was set for the Kammetyi Islands, with the 
intention of afterwards following the coast of Taimyr 
Land to Taimyr Island. Already, during the first 
day, we met several small islands, which, according 
to the chart we had, should have lain sixty miles 
further east. 

This was not the last time we made the discovery 
that the coast was described in this chart as much 
further east than it in reality is. This was particu¬ 
larly noticeable when we reached the other side of 
Cape Tchelyuskin, where, according to the map, 
we sailed over long stretches of land. The map 
which we used as a chart had been constructed 
by the Russian General Staff, and was founded upon 
old delineations from the seventeenth and eighteenth 
centuries. We found the coast correctly delineated 
for the first time from the other side of Kolyma 
River to Kolintchin Bay. That portion had been 
described by Admiral von Wrangel as recently as 
1821-23. The map was, besides, more a land than a 
sea chart. The depth was indicated in very few 
instances, and these were usually at fault. It was 
necessary, therefore, to proceed with the utmost cau¬ 
tion. Our regulations were to sound every hour as 
long as we were in deep water—that is to say, as 
long as the depth was not less than seven to ten 
fathoms. At a less depth we sounded every quarter 
of an hour; and often, in from three to four fathoms 
of water or even less, the land line was constantly 
employed for days in succession. As soon as the 
depth decreased to about four fathoms, the steam 
launch, which was always kept with steam up, was 
put out and sent before the Ve£;-a. This could be 
easily done in water free from ice, or in spread drift- 
ice ; but when the ice was so compact that the 
had to force a passage through, the steam launch, of 
course, could not be used. Only upon one occasion, 
when we stood eastward from Cape Tchelyuskin, we 
sounded and found seventy fathoms; at no other 
place, even when far out at sea, had we more than 
twenty fathoms, and as soon as we neared the coast 
the depth gradually decreased to three or four fathoms 
and under. Usually we sailed in a depth of from 
five to seven fathoms. 

On the nth of August we anchored near an 
unknown island to await better weather, there being 
a storm of wind and rain right in our teeth. On the 
afternoon of the same day when the wind had some¬ 
what moderated, we continued our voyage. 

On the 12th we encountered drift-ice, but so spread 
that without too many deviations we contrived to go 
forward in a northeasterly direction. The ice now 


began to be accompanied by fog, which, in the Arctic 
waters, is more dense than anywhere else in the 
world. As long as there is drift-ice in the neighbor¬ 
hood, so long can one almost calculate with certainty 
upon havi<ng an impenetrable fog; which only lifts 
for a few hours during the day, usually immediately 
after noon or early in the morning. Often when the 
fog disperses at midday, there is brilliant sunshine, 
and one discovers that the course taken in the drift- 
ice during the fog is wrong, and there is nothing for 
it but to return the same way and begin to push for¬ 
ward anew by another and better route. The fog 
rises and falls very suddenly without any premonitory 
signs, and might be compared to a stage-curtain, 
which is alternately raised and dropped. 

On the 13th of August, during a dense fog, we found 
ourselves close upon land right ahead of us, as well 
as upon both sides. Fortunately we were proceed¬ 
ing with such caution, that by backing we could 
come to a standstill before we had run ashore. We 
anchored, and when the atmosphere cleared some¬ 
what for a few moments, we found that the land be¬ 
side which we had anchored was simply an isolated 
heap of stones of a C form lying out in the sea. For 
the remainder of the 13th and part of the 14th, we 
lay in compact drift-ice and fog, unable to make any 
advance. On the evening of the 14th we were fav¬ 
ored with a few hours clear weather, and managed 
to make a little progress landward, where the ice ap¬ 
peared thinnest. As our scientific party wished to go 
ashore for the purpose of collecting, we anchored in 
a bay on the southwest of Taimyr Island. The bay 
was named Actinia Harbor, on account of the vast 
numbers of Actinia (or sea-anemones) which were 
found on the bottom. Here we were detained three 
and a half days by a dense fog. During that time, 
with the aid of the steam-launch, there were several 
excursions made to investigate the sound lying be¬ 
tween Taimyr Island and the mainland, which at its 
western mouth was so shallow, narrow, and rocky^ 
that the could not pass through it. The cur¬ 
rent here always runs westward with a speed of 
three to five knots. 

On the morning of the i8th of August the fog 
rose so far as to permit us to go to sea. The course 
was taken north to Taimyr Island between some 
reefs covered with boulders, which were now and 
then discernible through the rapidly returning fog. 
During the night, after having passed through 
a great deal of drift-ice, and seeing at a distance sev¬ 
eral large islands lying northwards, we sighted the 
land south of Cape Tchelyuskin. The land lay con^ 


iVO/i THEAST PASSAGE— THE “ VEGA 1878-1 Syg. 


129 


siderably farther west than as delineated on the chart. 
On the afternoon of the 19th of August we doubled 
the Old World’s most northerly point. Cape Tchelyus- 
kin, the Vega being the first vessel which has suc¬ 
ceeded in so doing. At 6 P. M. we anchored in a 
creek on the eastern side of the above cape. The 
national flag was hoisted, a salute given; while on 
the shore stood a large polar bear to bid us welcome. 
That night and the following forenoon were employed 
in deciding the position of the cape (which was found 
to be Lat. N. 77° 36', Long. E. 103* 25'), and in mak¬ 
ing various scientific investigations. At i P. M. on 
the 20th of August we raised our anchor and steered 
in a northeasterly and easterly direction as far as the 
ice permitted. We now no longer followed the coast 
our intention being to see if we might not possibly 
discover farther out some hitherto unknown islands 
or continents. But by the 22d we were so entangled 
in compact drift-ice, that during the fog which pre¬ 
vailed we found the utmost difficulty in finding our 
way back to the coast. To penetrate farther east in 
this latitude was then impossible. 

On the morning of the 24th we were again near 
land, and found there a channel from three to five 
miles broad, and almost quite free from ice. We 
sailed along the coast in this stream almost directly 
south, in a depth of eight to fifteen fathoms. In con¬ 
trast with the other parts of the north coast of Siberia, 
which almost everywhere is low, with a gradual 
elevation landwards there is here a high mountain 
chain with remarkably beautiful snow-clad peaks, the 
height of which we estimated at 2,000 feet. 

On the same afternoon we anchored at Khatanga 
Island, at the mouth of the bay of the same name. 
How incorrectly this bay has been described may be 
learned from the maps. Khatanga Island had a very 
singular appearance. The northern side was about 
250 feet high, and descended perpendicularly into the 
sea. From the northern summit the island sloped 
gradually away to the south, where its shores were 
finally lost in a sand bank, which stretched far out into 
Khatanga Bay. The island was about one mile east 
to west, and one and a half miles from north to 
south. On its western side there is a very good 
anchorage, only protected, however, from the winds 
between N.E. and S.E. Its northern shore was quite 
covered with puffins and other species of birds, 
among which our guns made great destruction. Two 
polar bears were also shot here. At 9 P.M. we raised 
our anchor, and steered under alternate fog and 
clear weather for the northeast of the bay. The 
light nights were at an end, and it was now extremely 


dark about 10 P.M. On the 25th of August, following 
the coast we passed the North Bay, and then took our 
course eastward in four to eight fathoms of water. In 
the early morning of that day, which was a Sunday, 
there was a dense fog; but about 10 a.m. it completely 
dispersed, and the day became the warmest and most 
beautiful we had during our whole voyage along the 
coast of Siberia. The thermometer showed as high 
47° C. in the shade. 

After we had passed the North Bay, the want of 
depth compelled us to go so far out to sea that we 
could barely keep sight of land. There we met with 
many torosser aground. Toross is the Russian desig¬ 
nation for walls formed during the winter by the con¬ 
stant forcing up of the ice. They sometimes reach 
the height of one hundred feet, and consist of ice 
blocks cast one upon the other—the whole not unlike 
a heap of gigantic sugar loaves lying topsy-turvy. 
These torosser, should they be of large dimensions, 
are not acted upon by the summer sun, but remain, 
and certainly constitute a good beacon for seamen to 
avoid the ground upon which they rest. 

On the 24th of August we continued to follow the 
coast in an easterly direction in a depth of from six to 
eight fathoms, pursued by our old enemy, the fog. In 
the evening, at dusk, we sighted a long, narrow sand¬ 
bank, which rose only a few feet above the level of 
the sea. We steered southwards towards land, with 
the intention of sailing round its southern extremity; 
but after following the edge of the bank for about six 
hours, and as it then appeared to run quite up to the 
land, we turned and stood out towards the north. 
This sand-bank, which at high water, or during dark¬ 
ness, is extremely dangerous for the navigation, lies 
about twenty-five miles from the delta at the mouth 
of the Lena; and its southern extremity is probably 
connected with Olensk Land. It lies north and 
south, and is probably cast up by the river Olensk 
and the western arm of the Lena. 

After having gone round the sandbank, we pro¬ 
ceeded on our voyage, steering eastwards for the 
Lena’s most northerly mouth. At this point a pilot 
from Yakutsk was to meet us to take the steamer 
Lena up the river to that town. 

As the river Lena has numerous mouths in its 
northern delta it had been prearranged that the pilot 
who, during the whole of the navigable season, must 
be found at the place, should set a sea-mark at that 
mouth where the greatest depth was obtainable. Our 
intention was to accompany the Lena to the mouth of 
the river, and remain there for a few days for scientific 
research. But on the night of the 27th of August, 


■130 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


when we were outside our proposed anchorage, we 
found navigable water and a favorable wind. The op¬ 
portunity was too good to be allowed to slip out of our 
hands. In the utmost haste we closed our letters and 
telegrams to our friends at home, and sent them on 
board the Lena. She was now left to her own devices 
to prosecute her journey to her place of destination. 
We spread our canvas, and making good speed, pro¬ 
ceeded eastward to work out our way alone through 
the remaining portion of the Northeast passage. Our 
lesser companion had proved most useful to us, as, 
whenever the water became shallow, she preceded us, 
and took soundings. On the 26th of August we were 
again among close but nevertheless navigable drift 
ice. At midday we sighted Wasilieffski Island, on 
our starboard bow, which we ought to have had on 
our other side far to the north. We had then not 
taken observations since the 26th, 

During that interval of forty-eight hours the cur¬ 
rent from the rivers Lena and Yana had carried us 
70 miles to the north. We went to the south side of 
Wasilieffski Island, from which there stretched out in 
a southerly direction a sandbank so low that it was 
only at a distance of eight miles from the island that 
we managed to pass it in a depth of eighteen feet. 
This proves the validity of the general rule that all 
islands north of Siberia are extremely flat on the 
southern side, but contrariwise, precipitous and deep 
on the northern, on which side they can usually be 
passed at a distance of a few hundred feet. As Pro¬ 
fessor Nordenskiold wished to land on Liakov 
Island, the most southerly of the New Siberian 
group, to collect mammoth and other possible 
remains, the course was set for that island’s western 
shore. On the 29th we had such exceedingly hard 
work among close drift-ice, that it was only with the 
utmost difficulty we could go forward at all. Ulti¬ 
mately we succeeded in forcing our way through, 
and passed to the north of Stolbovoi Island, on the 
•eastern side of which we found completely clear 
water for about ten miles. Here the log was heaved, 
and it was found that the Vega, using her sails alone, 
and with a favorable wind, was going at the rate of 
eleven knots an hour. This was the greatest speed 
attained during our voyage along the Siberian coast. 
The following morning we stood in toward Liakov 
Island, to which, in consequence of the shallows, we 
could make no nearer approach than at four to five 
miles distance; and these shallows, in conjunction 
with an impending fog, made it impossible to go 
ashore. We therefore steered southward for Cape 
Sviatoi, the point of which we doubled, after much 


trouble with the ice, in the night between 30th and 
31st of August. From thence we had two days of 
exceedingly good weather, during which we sailed 
along by the coast in water all but quite free from 
ice. We required, however, to keep some little dis¬ 
tance out, as the water was shallow. The coast here 
was very flat, and almost invisiible to us on account 
of the fog. 

On the night between the 2d and 3d of Septembe^ 
the drift-ice closed up ; the temperature, which had 
hitherto in general kept above zero, now fell below, 
and we had our first real snowfall. On the 3d of 
September, during the day in a snowstorm,we rounded 
the point lying northeast of the mouth of Kolyma 
River. The coast here was somewhat high and 
mountainous. We sailed at some cables length dis¬ 
tance from the coast, and, with alternate snowstorms 
and clear weather, passed between the Bear Islands. 
On the most easterly of these there stands four pil¬ 
lars, which, like so many beacons, spring erect above 
the land. These pillars which are composed of some 
plutonic mineral are, according to Baron von 
Wrangel, forty feet high. After passing the Bear 
Islands, and proceeding in an easterly direction 
among very compact drift-ice, during the night we 
steered northeast, with the hope of reaching that 
portion of land as yet untrodden by the foot of civil¬ 
ized man. Known as Wrangel Land also sometimes 
called Kellet Land, The Americans and Russians 
have called this land after Admiral von Wrangel, 
who, during his three years’ stay (1821-23) on the 
Siberian coast of the Arctic Sea, made two fruitless 
attempts to reach (its existence being already known 
to the Tchuktchis) from Kolyma, by means of dog- 
sledges. 

The natives of Cape Yakan and North Cape had 
repeatedly in very clear weather, most probably under 
peculiar atmospheric conditions, seen land in the 
northeast; this suggested to Admiral von Wrangel 
(who was sent out by the Russian Government to 
survey the Siberian coast) an endeavor to reach that 
land. Wrangel was met either by an impassable 
barrier of ice (hightorosser) or by ice-fields here and 
there rent asunder, with large fissures between the 
latter called by the Russians polynjor. The result 
was that he had to return without arriving at or even 
seeing the land in question. As the natives relate 
that for some time past they have seen during the 
winter people unknown to them coming over the ice 
from the northeast, and returning the same way it is 
inferred that Wrangel Land is inhabited. 

The Englishmen have called the land after their 


NORTHEAST PASSAGE—THE •‘VEGA ’’-iS^S-iS^g. 


131 




i ' 

t 

I 

•> 


countryman Kellet, commander of the English man- 
of-war Herald, with which, in 1849, he endeavored to 
penetrate thither. 

Kellet’s attempt with that object succeeded no bet¬ 
ter than Wrangel’s. He arrived at an island, which 
received the name of Herald Island; from whence. 


LAPPS. 

under the atmospheric conditions formerly alluded 
to, he believed he saw Wrangel Land. 

The American whaling-captain. Long (of the bark 
Nile, 1867), is the last who saw and also took good 
bearings of the south coast of Wrangel Land which 
he passed at a distance of twelve miles. 

On the morning of the 4th of September, after 
having done our best during the night to force a pass¬ 
age through, we found our way towards the north¬ 
east completely barred by strong compact drift-ice 
united by newly frozen ice two inches thick. There 
was nothing else to be done, but to endeavor to make 
the land, which, during the night and after most 
fatiguing labor, we succeeded in reaching direct west 
of Cape Baranoff, Here we found a fairly broad 
channel, seven to eight fathoms deep and free from 
ice. In future we made no further attempts to stand 


out northwards, where we invariably met with im¬ 
penetrable ice, but kept the whole time as near the 
coast as the depth permitted. This is really the 
surest way of making progress, as on the coast there 
is the efflux of larger or smaller rivers, which either 
cause it to be free from ice, or keep the broken ice¬ 
fields in constant motion 
so long as they are not 
united by fresh ice. 

On the 5th of September 
we kept along the coast in 
a navigable stream. In the 
afternoon we passed under 
steam and full sail with a 
favorable wind Tchaun Bay. 
This was the last time in 
1878 that we had an oppor¬ 
tunity to carry sail. After 
this the ice became so close, 
and our course was so in¬ 
tricate, that we could not 
use canvas. The night of 
the 6th of September was 
the first night that the dark¬ 
ness prevented us from ad¬ 
vancing. In future, during 
the darkest part of the 
twenty-four hours we had 
always to moor, either to an 
ice-field or still better to a 
portion of ground ice. 

On the 6th of September, 
during the day we sighted 
the high land of Cape She- 
lagskoi, which we reached 
after some hours’ struggle with a belt of drift-ice. 
Immediately to the east of this point we had our first 
sight of the natives, who came rowing towards us in 
two boats made of seal-hide. They could, however, 
give us no information in regard to the coast or the 
condition of the ice, as they could speak no language 
but their own Tchuktchis. After this we daily passed 
one or more native villages, and received visits from 
this kindly people. At Cape Shelagskoi the difficul¬ 
ties of the expedition seemed only to begin. From 
thence we encountered solid, compact ice, and could 
barely go forward two ship’s lengths without collision 
with the same. On the 7th of September we passed 
Cape Yakan, and on the 8th, 9th, loth, and nth, 
worked our way through close, strong drift-ice, which 
was sometimes so impenetrable that we were com¬ 
pelled to moor to it and await some change in its 













132 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


position. Only such a mode of procedure made it 
possible for us to get on. Occasionally we might 
make one or two miles, but usually only a few lengths 
of the ship. With the steam constantly up, we were 
prepared to take advantage of the smallest oppor¬ 
tunity afforded by the ice of going forward. Fogs, 
shallows, and ground-ice were now the order of the 
day. For whole days, in three fathoms of water, 
sometimes, indeed, with not more than a few inches 
under our keel, we had to push our way through drift 
and ground-ice. These latter masses, larger and 


bility of getting free being to blast with powder, or 
to hew away, by means of ice-tools, so much of their 
tops as lightened them sufficiently to allow them to 
float. 

On the 12th of September, in the forenoon, we ar¬ 
rived at the North Cape, where we were detained six 
days by ice. The North Cape consists of two pro¬ 
montories, some hundred feet high, jutting out from 
the mainland. They enclose a shallow bay, about 
half a mile in length, with an inlet between northeast 
and northwest. In this bay the Vega lay, shut up by 



WANDERING ON THE ICE IN WINTER. 


heavier than the Vega, had to be removed. When 
this could not be accomplished by pressure with the 
whole strength of our machinery, we had to make an 
onset and rush against it at full speed. Only a vessel 
so strong and well constructed as the Vega could for 
any length of time have stood such blows. To run 
at full speed against ground-ice is equivalent to rush¬ 
ing against a fixed object. Either the ship or the ice 
must give way. Nevertheless our Vega went vic¬ 
torious out of the combat, not a single scratch ap¬ 
pearing on her sides of scarlet oak. She frequently 
stuck fast between two ground-ices, the only possi- 


the drift-ice. On the low sandbank which unites these 
promontories was situated a Tchuktchi village. We 
found the chief Tcheporin, a particularly attractive 
man. It was very amusing to see his astonishment, 
when, on one occasion, we invited him and his wife, 
Atanga, to the saloon, where he saw a number of 
things which to him appeared most wonderful. He 
was presented, among other articles, with an old gold 
braiding, which he bound round his wife’s head like 
a diadem, placing the loop in the centre of her brow. 
Great was his delight at a performance on the barrel- 
organ. First he commenced to quiver in every limb, 









































yoj? THEA S r FA SSA GE— THE " VEGA "—1S7S-1S79. 


133 


and soon he was dancing most vigorously. For hours 
he would contemplate his brown, yellow face in a 
mirror. We here attempted to take a course of tidal 


THE “ vega’s ” WINTER QUARTERS. 

observations, which, however, on account of our ap¬ 
paratus, and their collision with the ice, were unsatis¬ 
factory. The greatest deviation was only from five 
to seven inches. At last at midday on the 18th of 
September the ice dispersed so 
far as to permit us creeping 
along the sandy coast in three 
fathoms of water to continue 
our course towards our goal, 

Behring Strait. 

The season of the year was 
now far advanced, and being 
acquainted with the sudden 
transition from summer to win¬ 
ter in the Arctic regions, we 
knew that at any time winter 
might set in in earnest, and 
make all further progress im¬ 
possible. From this time the 
temperature was invariably be¬ 
low zero. / 

On the evening of the i8th 


during the darkness, while forcing a belt of ground- 
ice, we touched the bottom; but the following 
morning, at four o’clock, we were again on the way 
quite uninjured. 

On the 19th of September we succeeded 
in pushing our way forward about fifty 
miles. On the 20th, 21st, 22d, 23d, 24th, 
and 25th, our combat with the ice was 
continued, and we made but very little pro¬ 
gress. On the 26th we rounded Cape 
Wankarem, where we found tolerably clear 
water caused by the rapidly flowing river 
of the same name. The same evening we 
also doubled Cape Onman, and on the fol¬ 
lowing day we went right across Kolintchin 
Bay, passing close to Kolintchin Island. In 
the evening we moored close west of the 
northeast point of the bay. The 28th of 
September was a cold but clear morning. 
The sea had, during the night, been cov¬ 
ered with a layer of ice one or two inches 
thick. We rounded the point, but after¬ 
wards could only push our way forward 
about four miles, when we had again to 
moor. I little thought on the morning of 
that day that this would be the last time 
during 1878 that our vessel would be on the 
onward move. We had before encoun¬ 
tered stronger ice and fought against greater 
difficulties ; and now to reach Behring Strait 
we had only 120 miles to accomplish of the 4,000 
which constitute the length of the Old World’s north¬ 
ern shores. 

At first no one would realize that we might be 




TCHUKTCHI& 







i 34 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


compelled to pass the winter here, but hoped for a 
change in the weather, and for a storm which would 
break and disperse the ice. But instead of this, 
however, the cold increased, and the new ice which 
connected the drift-floes daily became stronger and 
the weather became quite calm. Here we were to 
spend the winter—here where the American whalers 
find yearly quite navigable waters several weeks later 
than the 28th of September. The situation of our 
wintering station was, according to observations, Lat. 
N. 67“ 7', and Long. 173° 24', 4,500 feet out from a 
flat, sandy beach, entirely unprotected from all winds 
excepting the south. Between the Vega and the 
shore were two sandbanks, the nearest having ten 
feet of water, the other still less. 

At the outset of the expedition my impression was 
that the greatest difficulties in making the Northeast 
Passage would be experienced in rounding Cape 
Tchelyuskin, and possibly the coasts on both sides of 
the same, namely, from Taimyr Island to Khatanga 
Bay. All available accounts, however, agree that the 
coast between Cape Yakan or North Cape and 
Behring Strait is quite free of ice during the summer 
and autumn. When we had successfully rounded 
Cape Tchelyuskin, and had passed Cape Yakan so 
early as the 7th of September (therefore in good 
time), we calculated with certainty up@n being able 
to pass Behring Strait the same year. On the con¬ 
trary, our greatest difficulties commenced at Cape 
Yakan, and instead of diminishing in the same degree, 
the farther we proceeded eastward they became still 
greater and greater. We have good cause to infer 
that the condition of the ice in 1878 was peculiarly 
unfavorable, and that, under ordinary circumstances, 
we should have reached Behring Strait without diffi¬ 
culty and immediately thereafter the Pacific Ocean. 
We had now to content ourselves with having ar¬ 
rived at the entrance to Behring Strait during the first 
summer. As proof of the condition of these waters 
in other years, I quote the following from statistics 
supplied by the United States Admiralty: ist. On 
the 21 St of September, 1867, the American bark 
Massachusetts, Captain Williams, reached Lat. N. 70° 
30', Long. W. 173° (the same Longitude as our win¬ 
ter station), from whence no ice could be discovered 
round the compass. Captain Williams, an old 
whaler, and a man well acquainted with these waters, 
adds further, in his report, that he is convinced that 
no ice exists from the middle of August until the ist 
of October south of Lat. 70® and west of Long. W. 
170°. and that there is seldom a year when it is not 
possible during the month of September to sail in 


navigable water between North Cape and Behring 
Strait. 2d, Captain Niebaum, also an experienced 
ice navigator, relates that Behring Strait is open till 
the first days of November, and that he, on two occa¬ 
sions, sailed through that strait as late as the 22d of 
October. 3d, In the year 1869 the bark Navy 
anchored at Kolinchin Island on the 8th of October, 
and sailed from thence to Behring Strait on the loth 
of the same month. No ice was then to be seen, 
4th, In 1867 the bark Nile, Captain Long, reached 
Lat. N. 70® 41', Long. E. 170® 20', coming from and 
returning to Behring Strait. 5th, The same year the 
bark Monticello went 150' farther west. Annually 
many small American coasting traders sail along the 
shores of Siberia even farther west, and carry on a 
bartering trade with the natives. We had evidence 
of this in the fact that among all the natives we have 
met, numbering more than a thousand, we have not 
met one who did not know a few English words. 

More than fifty large vessels engaged in sealing 
and whaling north ^of Behring Strait swarm there¬ 
about in all directions. The natives inhabiting the 
coast of Siberia between Cape Shelagskoi and the 
southern part of Behring Strait are called Tchuktchis, 
as already mentioned. Their number is estimated to 
be about 3,000, including a nomadic tribe called the 
Rein-Tchuktchis, who subsist by keeping reindeer 
herds. These form a link between their brethren on 
the coast and the inland tribes of Siberia, to the latter 
of whom they dispose of their goods, consisting of 
seal and walrus hides, walrus teeth, etc., which they 
receive from the country population in exchange for 
reindeer hides. 

The coast population lives in villages numbering 
from three to twenty tents spread along the coast as 
near the shore as possible and at a few miles distant 
from each other. 

The Tchuktchis are divided into two sections, each 
with its respective chiefs. The eastern population 
have for their chief Menka, who resides at Markowa 
on the Anadyr River. The western, again, are under 
the chief Amra Urgin, who resides in the vicinity of 
Kolyma River. 

The tent of the coast Tchuktchis consists of a 
peculiar and cleverly-constructed frame of wood, the 
material for which is obtained from drift-logs with 
which the shore is plentifully strewn. This is cov¬ 
ered with a number of seal and walrus hides carefully 
sewn together. Inside the tent and right before the 
entrance, is a smaller cubiform tent, made of rein¬ 
deer skins, and used as the sleeping chamber. During 
the cold season it is heated by blubber lamps. Even 


NORTHEAST PASSAGE—THE " V EG A”—1878-1879. 


135 






during severe cold the atmosphere within this tent is 
so heated that the natives who occupy it, without dis¬ 
tinction of age or sex, lie almost nude. The dimen¬ 
sions of the tent depend upon the number of the 
family. In each tent generally dwells 
only one family, in which are included 
the sisters and brothers of the married 
couple before they settle for themselves. • 

The Tchuktchis, the children of nature 
in the Arctic regions, fostered among ice, 
snow, and cold, familiarized with bloody 
scenes in the seal, whale, and walrus hunt, 
without any of the influences of civiliza¬ 
tion, are, notwithstanding,a good-natured, 
friendly, hospitable, and honest people. 

Although the Vega, during the long 
winter, was daily visited by at least 
twenty natives, it was only on two or three 
occasions that they were found guilty of 
dishonestly appropriating anything, and 
these thefts were of the most trifling 
description. 

The Tchuktchis are a people of small 
stature, although among them may be 
found perfect giants; as for instance, a 
woman whom we saw was 6 feet 3 inches 
tall. Their complexion is sallow, the 
men’s being usually darker than that of 
the women. Occasionally, however, one 
may see, especially among the women, a 
complexion as fair and clear as that of 
the inhabitants of Northern Europe* 

The eyes are black and often set oblique 
like the Chinese. The hair which is coal- 
black, is worn by the men cut quite short; 
while the women allow it to grow quite 
freely, part it in the middle of the brow 
and wear it in plaits of twelve or eighteen 
inches long, which hang down at each 
ear. They also wear a lock combed 
down and cut across which covers half 
of the forehead. The men also use a 
similar lock, and sometimes a long tuft 
at the crown of the head. This tuft is 
worn, so far as I could learn, only by 
chiefs. 

Their clothing is made principally of 
reindeer skins, and consists of a pesk 
or blouse reaching to the knees, with an opening 
at the top just sufficient for the head to pass 
through. In addition, the men have tight-fitting 
trousers of reindeer skin, which are tucked down 


into boots of the same material, the latter with 
soles of walrus hide. The women also wear trousers, 
but those are wide, ending immediately below the 
knee, where they are similarly tucked into the boots. 


AOBOIU AT TEE “ TEOA’s ” WIETXB QCABTERS, SBD MABOII, 1879, AT 9 VM. 


OOVBLB AUBOBA-IBCS SEEK 20TH HABOR. 1879, AT 9.80 F.U. 


EUlmC ADBOBA SEER 2l3T MARCH,. 1879, AT 2 15 A.M. 


EUIPTIO AURORA SEEN 2IST MARCH, 1879, AT 3 A.M. 


In the outer clothing the hairy side of the skin is 
always to the exterior; but, on the contrary, the hairy 
side of those articles worn next the body during the 
cold season is turned inwards. A close-fittiner hood 







136 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


of reindeer-skin and mittens of the same material, 
complete their dress. In this costume they defy any 
kind of weather. Often so clad, night after night, even 
in the most severe cold, they pursue their seal-fishing 
miles away from the shore without any other protec¬ 
tion from the icy winds. 

The weapons of the Tchuktchis consist of a bow 
and arrows, a spear, which, like the arrow and spear¬ 
heads, is obtained from the Americans and Russians 
in their bartering transactions. They themselves have 
no iron at their command, nor any knowledge of its 
working. 

To their hunting implements belong the sealing-net, 
made of finely cut strips of seal-hide netted with a 
three-inch mesh. With these the young seals, which 
form their principal food, are caught. The net is 
extended between two blocks of ice, and the seals get 
entangled in its meshes ; and so become an easy prey 
to the hunters. 

Their dog-sledges, which are constructed of thin 
pieces of wood, tied together with strips of seal-hide, 
combine to a high degree strength and elasticity, 
and are singularly light. 

Their mode of conveyance by sea is the kajak or 
the “ large boat.” The kajak, quite similar to the 
Greenland kajak, is covered with seal-hide; it only 
carries one man, who propels it by means of a com¬ 
mon kajak oar or paddle. The ” large boat ” which 
also resembles the boat used in Greenland under the 
name of the “ women’s boat,” is upwards of thirty feet 
long. It is rowed by six to ten men, with common 
oars ox pagajas. This boat is constructed of a thin 
wooden frame, covered with seal and walrus hides. It 
has a flat bottom, from which its sides project at 
right angles. Its carrying capacity is very great. I 
have seen such boats having thirty people on 
board. 

The hammer of the Tchuktchis consists of a stone 
tied to a stick; their spade, of a walrus’ shoulder- 
blade fastened to a stick; and in the same manner 
they contrive other domestic utensils and tools. They 
are perfect masters in the art of joining by means of 
thongs of seal-hide. 

The principal food of the natives consists of seal 
flesh and blubber, in addition to which they use 
feathered game, bear and reindeer flesh, when such 
can be obtained. The roots of certain shore plants, 
also willow-leaves ranunculus and saxifrage, etc., 
enter pretty largely into their diet. The leaves are 
collected in the latter end of the summer, pressed, and 
consumed during the winter; and in these they are* 
provided with a pKjwerful anti-scorbutic. During the 


winter, when getting short of other provisions the 
bones of seals and walrusses caught during the sum¬ 
mer are crushed, and prepared in the form of a broth 
or soup, which is consumed by both men and dogs. 
Of the latter there are a great number in every village, 
which are chiefly employed in conveying their owners 
by sledge from one place to another. Although these 
dogs are not large, three or four of them can with 
ease carry a man long distances. When the Tchukt¬ 
chis undertakes long journeys of 300 to 500 miles he 
often has as many as eighteen dogs harnessed to his 
sledge, with which he is able to accomplish seventy 
or eighty miles a day. 

During the first half of the winter we were daily 
visited by twenty to thirty natives, who got any food 
the crew might have left. Besides this they received 
a considerable quantity of bread from the ship’s 
stores. They made themselves useful in several 
small ways, such as sawing wood, carrying ice, etc.; 
etc. In the beginning of February, when their pro¬ 
visions began to run short, they all removed from 
Pitlekai (the nearest village to us) to another village 
further east, called Naskai, where they raised tempo¬ 
rary tents, and carried on seal fishing in the open 
water to be found in the vicinity. About this time 
the natives made a great haul, allowing to each tent 
twenty-five to fifty young seals. Besides seals they 
got in the same vicinity a good catch of fish resem¬ 
bling cod. 

At first we had some difficulty in holding com¬ 
munication with the natives, but we soon picked up a 
sufficient number of words to make ourselves intelligi¬ 
ble. Lieutenant Nordqvist, who paid especial atten¬ 
tion to the language of the Tchuktchis, ultimately 
became tolerably familiar with it. 

After the 28th of September, the day on which our 
further progress was completely arrested, we still 
cherished a hope of getting free, and accomplishing 
the remaining little distance to Behring Strait the 
same autumn ; but gradually this hope died out, and we 
began in earnest to think of the impending winter. 
With regard to the ship there was really nothing to 
do, as all preparations to resist an Arctic winter had 
already been made. 

We fitted up the winter tent, the top rope of which 
was fixed midway up the masts, and from thence ex¬ 
tended to the bulwarks. That the daylight might 
not be shut out from the saloon, the tent was not 
erected over the quarter-deck. The deck was cov¬ 
ered with six inches of snow, which aided consider¬ 
ably in the exclusion of the cold from that quarter. 
The engine was kept during the whole winter in such 


137 


NORTHEAST PASSAGE—THE " VEGA’’—1878-1879. 


a condition that at three hours’ notice it could be set 
in motion. 

The vessel was heated by means of four stoves and 
the galley. One of the stoves was placed in the 
saloon, one in the engine room, one between decks, 
and one in the second mess. With these heating 
appliances we had no difficulty in keeping up an 
equable temperature in all parts of the vessel, even 
during the most severe cold (47° C,). For fuel, part 
coals and part driftwood were used, the latter brought 
from the neighboring shore. For heating purposes 
we consumed about I2 cwt. of coal weekly. 


magnetic observations were made every hour ; and, 
in addition, on the ist and 15th of every month, ob¬ 
servations were made every fifteen minutes. Meteoro¬ 
logical observations were also taken every hour from 
the ist of December till the ist of April; for the re¬ 
mainder of our stay, only every four hours. These 
observations were conducted by eleven persons, of 
which nine were men of science and officers, and two 
of the crew. The watch lasted for six hours, and the 
person on duty remained in the observatory all that 
time. The magnetic observatory consisted of a 
building twelve feet long and ten feet broad erected 



THE ENTRANCE OF THE “VEGA” INTO STOCKHOLM, APRIL 24, 1880. 


As I feared that the thick and rapidly forming ice 
might press with too great force on the vessel, I 
endeavored at first to keep her free of the ice on the 
one side by opening, by means of a saw, a three-feet- 
broad channel. Soon, however, this work had to be 
abandoned, as the cold overpowered us. After open¬ 
ing up the stream the one day, on the next we found 
it covered with ice six to eight inches thick. Should 
there happen to be a snowstorm during the night, it 
was immediately filled up with snow, and then the ice 
became still thicker. 

From the ist of December until the ist of April, 


on the land one hundred feet from the shore, and 
formed of sawn ice-blocks of an equal size. That we 
might, during snowstorms and darkness, have com¬ 
munications with the vessel without risk of losing our 
way, ice pillars were raised at a distance of forty 
feet from each other, between which ropes were 
stretched. 

During the whole time we were shut up the wind 
blew almost continually from N.N.W. to N.W. 
Winds from other quarters were exceptional. The 
winds between E.N.E., N.,and S.W. were cold,while, 
on the contrary, the winds from S. and S.E. brought 























138 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


a milder temperature. In the first part of the winter, 
before the ice became too thick, the E. and S.E, 
winds broke it up and formed large holes or clefts 
north and east of the vessel. In a heavy northerly 
storm, at the beginning of November, the newly 
frozen ice one foot thick, pressing against the older 
and stronger, which lay around on the outer sand¬ 
bank directly astern of us, broke and piled up into 
torosser of some twenty feet high. On the same oc¬ 
casion the ice shot up on the flat beach and accumu¬ 
lated in several places so as to form ice walls of a 
similar height. On the ist of January, about seven 
miles N.N.E. of the vessel, there was a channel run¬ 
ning east and west, which was so broad that from its 
southern edge the northern was not discernible. Dur¬ 
ing the latter part of the winter, when the cold be¬ 
came more intense, we could see no open water from 
our masthead but a continuous ice-field, whose even 
surface was only broken here and there by some old 
ice-blocks which had been frozen in by the new ice. 
Still, on several occasions, we saw the so-called 
“ water-sky ” from which we inferred that open holes 
were to be found, although at a great distance. When, 
in the month of May, we opened up a channel on the 
one side of the vessel, the ice nearest us measured 
seven feet thick. 

When the temperature fell under 40° it was gener¬ 
ally calm or a light breeze ; under 45° we had a com¬ 
plete calm. To go long stretches against a fresh breeze 
with 30° of cold or even colder was anything but 
agreeable—nose, cheeks, and ears were easily liable 
to be frost-bitten. This can be obviated, however, 
without much difficulty by binding a thick silk hand¬ 
kerchief over the nose and letting the corners hang 
down over the mouth, by which respiration is made 
less disagreeable than otherwise it would be. During 
the whole winter we had only a few trifling injuries 
from the frost, notwithstanding that we were out in 
all possible weathers. 

From the beginning of the month of December we 
made hourly tidal observations. Ebb and flood could 
scarcely be distinguished. The greatest variations 
during the spring-tide was only six to eight inches. 
The water level, however, varied greatly according to 
the direction and strength of the wind. The extent 
of these changes was different for different winds; 
southeast and south winds usually brought high 
water, two to three feet over the common water level. 
These observations were made by means of the follow¬ 
ing apparatus: A metal wheel of the circumference 
of a metre was fixed on the top of the boom. Over 
that wheel was laid a fine brass-wire line, the thick¬ 


ness of a common log-line, the two cords of which 
were taken down through the rudder-hole, one upon 
each side of the helm. The one end was carried 
through a hole made in the ice beside the rudder, and 
fastened to two bars of iron which were sunk to the 
bottom ; and the other was fixed to a cannon-ball at 
such a height that it was suspended in the centre 
of the rudder-hole. The cannon-ball served to keep 
the line constantly on the stretch. A board, with foot 
and inch measurements, was placed between the 
boom and the deck, and on the line an indicator 
which, according as the vessel rose or fell, pointed 
out on the scale the rising and falling of the water. 

As we wintered in Lat. N. 67° 7', we had not to 
endure the tedium of constant darkness, which is one 
of the trials of a winter spent in these regions in 
higher latitudes. On the darkest day of the year the 
sun, with the aid of refraction, showed half its disk 
above the horizon at midday. In the saloon, from 
10 A.M. until 2 P.M., we had as much light as permit¬ 
ted us both to read and write. Outside one could 
readily find their way about from 9 A.M. until 3 P.M. 

Christmas was celebrated in the usual Swedish 
style—with Christmas tree, Christmas presents, fish 
and sweet porridge, Christmas Eve was spent between 
decks, which, for the occasion, was decorated with 
suitable flags and signals. A wooden spar, with 
willow branches (which had been brought from the 
land) tied to it, did duty as a Christmas tree. It was 
hung with paper flags and 200 presents, which latter 
were divided by lottery among the whole company. 

During the winter we had several opportunities of 
sending home news, of which we naturally took 
advantage, although uncertain if these communica¬ 
tions would ever arrive at their intended destinations. 
So early as October we were visited by the chief 
Menka, mentioned before* and by him we sent letters 
and telegrams to Anadyrsk, to be forwarded from 
thence to Sweden. There is, however, no regular 
postal communication between Anadyrsk and the 
larger Siberian towns lying further west. The letters 
would not arrive at Nijni Kolymsk until March, when 
a great annual market is held there. From thence 
they would be conveyed by visitors to the market 
homeward bound to Yakutsk, with which regular 
communication exists. In this way we could not 
expect our letters to arrive in Sweden before June or 
July. On several occasions we sent letters with 
natives on the homeward trip to Nijni Kolymsk, to be 
forwarded in a similar manner. 

As far as the weather permitted the crew always 
followed their various occupations in the open air. 


139 


NORTHEAST PASSAGE— 

and it was only in extremely severe weather that they 
were allowed to work under deck. During their 
leisure hours they had access to an exceedingly well- 
supplied library ; and for their profit and amusement 
suitable lectures were given every Saturday evening 
during the darkest season—which, thanks to our 
scientific companions, were as interesting as they 
were instructive. In addition to the common rations, 
the crew received daily during the spring months two 
cubic inches of cranberry preserve twice a week, five 
cubic inches of mulberry preserve four times a week, 
pickles, besides fresh fish or reindeer flesh as often as 
they could be obtained by barter from the natives— 
usually once a week. As something remarkable, 
and, so far as known to me, unexampled in the 
instances on record of winters passed in these 
regions, not a symptom of scurvy appeared on board 
the Ve^a during our stay. In my opinion our exemp¬ 
tion may be attributed to the following circumstances : 

First, That we were supplied with sound, good, 
and, for our habits, suitable food. 

Second, That we never had unbroken darkness, 
which exercises a depressing influence on the spirits. 

Third, That we did not suffer Trom damp of any 
moment on board, consequent on the Vela’s thick 
sides, and an equable heat being preserved; and. 

Fourth, That we all led an industrious life. 

Spring seemed to delay her coming. On the 31st 
of May the sun was circumpolar; but notwithstand¬ 
ing, its rays were yet without sufficient strength to 
dissolve the masses of snow which were accumulated 
on the land. Not until the middle of June did the snow 
begin noticeably to diminish day by day, and in the 
beginning of July the ground was for the most part 
bare. Immediately after the melting of the snow the 
land became green and the flowers sprang up. It is 
wonderful how rapidly winter and summer succeed 
one another in the Arctic regions. No sooner has 
a tuft become bare, than it is verdant and flower- 
clad. This sudden change is absolutely necessary in 
order that, during the short summer of barely two 
months, everything may quickly mature and furnish 
seed for another growth. 

While the snow was melting a great number of 
birds had gathered and hovered about the streams 
and lagoons which lay at a longer or shorter dis¬ 
tance from shore. Our hunters had occupation from 
morning till night, and our table was always supplied 
with feathered game of every description, the most 
appreciated being geese and sandpipers. The melt¬ 
ing of both floating and ground-ice went on rapidly 
during this time. In the vicinity of the ship, the 


■THE “ VEGA” — iS/S-/Syg. 

thickness of the ice diminished one or two inches 
daily, depending on whether the wind was north or 
south. The former brought a colder, and the latter, 
which often blew a gale, a warmer atmosphere. 
Open holes and long narrow tunnels began to appear 
to the north and northeast of the vessel. These 
opened and closed according to the quarter from 
whence the wind blew, whether south or north, which 
indicated that the ice outside was in motion. In the 
beginning and middle of July, a great quantity of 
water stood on the ice to the inward of the vessel, 
and communication with the land became daily more 
and more difficult. 

On the 18th of July, during a stiff breeze from the 
south, I noticed that the line to our tidometer showed 
astern; and immediately after, I saw the ice to the 
landward of us separating from the outer ground-ice 
belt. The engine fires were lit and at half-past 4 
p, M. the vessel was set in motion. Half an hour 
later, we were out in a channel which continually 
increased in breadth the farther we proceeded, and 
before evening we were in a comparatively navigable 
sea. After a detention of nine months and twenty 
days, we had at last got away as quietly and with as 
little risk or trouble as if w'e had gone out to sea from 
a common harbor. 

On Sunday the 20th of July, at 11 A. M. we passed 
East Cape, and had then quite completed the North¬ 
east Passage. In celebration of this event, the 
national flag was hoisted and a salute given. The 
same evening we anchored at the mouth of St. Law¬ 
rence Bay. 

The Northeast Passage has unquestionably been 
accomplished for the first time by the Swedish steam¬ 
ship Ve^a. I attribute the circumstance that this 
has occupied a year, when it ought to have taken 
only two months, had there been no special difficul¬ 
ties, to the unusually unfavorable condition of the ice 
during September, 1878, To answer the question if 
the Northeast Passage can annually be made in one 
season ? I am not able because the ice conditions 
are so different in different years. The part of the 
sea nearest the coast is certainly free from ice, during 
the summer and autumn months, opposite to and 
east from the efflux of a river ; but against this must 
be placed the difficulties to be met with at and around 
Cape Tchelyuskin and Taimyr Island. That a pas¬ 
sage is to be found there also once or several times 
in the summer is equally certain, but that may occur 
so late that, before one can reach Behring Strait the 
winter has again set in. At the same time I will not 
by any means say that there may not be_ found there 


140 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


during the whole summer and autumn a channel free 
from ice ; but as there is no river effluent in the vicin¬ 
ity of Cape Tchelyuskin and Taimyr Island, which, 
with sufficient strength, can force the ice northwards, 
as is the case with the great rivers Obi, Yenisei, Lena, 
and Kolyma, it may be inferred that the ice there is 
principally influenced by the winds—namely, that the 
north wind forces the ice towards land, the south hav¬ 
ing a contrary effect, and that, consequently, the 
doubling of these points cannot be calculated upon 
with certainty at any time, even during the navigable 
season. The Northeast Passage cannot, therefore, in 
its entirety be made available for the purposes of 
commerce, but still an annual traffic might easily be 
carried on from the westward to the Obi and Yenisei, 
and from the eastward to the Lena. Unquestionably, 
the way now lies open to Siberia’s three greatest 
rivers; and that land, so rich in minerals, timber, and 
grain, whose export and import trade has hitherto 
been conducted by means of caravans, ought now to 
obtain a practicable route as a connecting link be¬ 
tween the New and the Old Worlds. In regard to 
the communication with Yenisei, since Professor Nor- 
denskiold, for the first time, reached that river, in 
1875, it has been annually visited by European ves¬ 
sels conveying European commodities to Siberia, and 
returning from thence loaded with Siberian products. 
The traffic to the Lena will probably be taken up 


by American traders; and the safety of the voyage 
there and back should be insured when a chart of the 
Siberian coast has been obtained, as also by the em¬ 
ployment of strong and sw'ift steamers. 

At St. Lawrence Bay we remained only dll midday 
onthe2ist of July, when we weighed anchor and 
steered over to the American side, where we anchored 
at Port Clarence. We remained there until the 26th, 
when we again crossed over to the Asiatic side, and 
anchored in Konyam Bay. From thence we went, on 
the 28th, to the St. Lawrence Island, remaining there 
from the 31st of July till the 2d of August. We then 
steered for Behring Island, where we anchored at its 
southwest point, on August 14th. We found here a 
small village, with a church and twenty-five wooden 
houses built and owned by an American firm, Hutch¬ 
inson, Kohl, Philippens & Co,, who here and on the 
neighboring islands carry on seal fishing. The in¬ 
habitants of the is-land, consisting of a few Russian 
Government officials, some employes of the company 
and natives of the Aleutian Islands make in all about 
300 who reside in the village. There we received our 
first news from Europe through American news¬ 
papers, the latest of which were printed in San Fran¬ 
cisco, in April, 1879, and brought from thence by one 
of the company’s steamers. On the 19th of August 
we left Behring Island, and set our course for Yoko¬ 
hama, where we arrived on the 2d of September. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE—1879-1881. 


It may be remembered by our readers that in 1873 
news was received in New York that some survivors 
of the Polaris had been picked up by a whaling ship, 
and that the report they gave of her condition induced 
the United States Government to send out the Juniata 
to relieve her. We reached Upernavik without 
obtaining any further information of the Polaris, and 
from that Danish settlement a boat expedition along 
the coast was sent out under the command of Lieuten¬ 
ant George W. De Long. The largest steam-launch of 
the Juniata was carefully strengthened with outer 
planking,thoroughly equipped and provisioned for sixty 
days. The launch was appropriately named the 
Little Juniata, and instructed to proceed northward 
towards Melville Bay. He left Upernavik on August 


2d, but encountered severe storms, and De Long was 
soon convinced that prosecuting the search any longer 
was out of the question. On August 8th, he sighted 
Cape York, the weather being foggy and the wind ris¬ 
ing. At midnight the launch had hauled alongside an 
iceberg to fill up with fresh-water ice for drinking, 
when the ice-pilot noticed a crack in the berg. The 
order was at once given to shove off and the Little 
Juniata had scarcely reached a safe distance when, 
with a loud report, the iceberg was rent to pieces. 
The launch was tossed and tumbled by the waves but 
escaped unharmed. The gale continued to increase 
and the fearful sea rendered the little boat’s situation 
one of great peril. She was now unable to steam 
against the tempest and she could not lay to; the 


VOYAGE OF THE " y£ANNETT£’’—/S7^/m. 


edge of the pack was a scene of wild confusion, and 
the fog was very thick. Not till August 9th was 
there a lull, and the crew attempted to get up steam; 
hut the fire-room was half filled with water, the coal 
bunkers in the same condition, the matches were wet 
and the tinder saturated. It took several hours’ 
work before they succeeded in getting a match dry 
enough to ignite, George May having warmed and 
dried it by placing it next his body. With this match 
a candle was lighted, but was immediately blown out 
by the wind, and the same tedious process of drying 
had to be repeated. When the candle was alight, 
there was no dry wood to kindle, and it was only by 
taking cotton waste and punk, wet as they were, and 
pouring oil plentifully over them that they succeeded 
in lighting the fires. 

After this escape the Little Juniata rejoined her 
parent ship, and on receiving news that the crew of 
the Polaris had been picked up by the whaler, Arctic, 
the expedition returned to New York. 

Soon after this apprenticeship to Arctic difficulties, 
Lieutenant De Long opened communications with 
James Gordon Bennett, and proposed that the editor 
of the Herald should send out an Arctic exploring 
exjoedition. After due reflection Mr. Bennett and 
Lieutenant De Long determined, in 1876, to dispatch 
a vessel towards to the North Pole the following sum¬ 
mer, and, as no American vessel suitable for the pur¬ 
pose could be procured, the Patidora was purchased 
from Sir Allen Young, and re-named the Jeannette. 
Various delays however, prevented her sailing till 
July 8, 1879, when she started from San Francisco. 

The choice of the starting point shows that the 
Jeannette was to penetrate the Arctic waters by the 
way of Behring Strait, and on August 28th she passed 
through it, a heavy fog blowing over the bluff head¬ 
land on the Asiatic side. On the 30th a party landed 
at Cape Serdze Ramer, and ascertained that Norden- 
skiold had arrived there safely a month before. The 
course of the Jeannette was now directed towards 
Wrangel Land, and on Sept. 4th she sighted Herald 
Island, so called by the explorer. Captain Kellett, of 
the English ship The Herald. Around this island the 
expedition drifted for some time, but by Oct. nth she 
was fast in the ice, and the usual preparations for win¬ 
tering were made. “ Wintering in the pack,” De Long 
writes, “ may be a thrilling thing to read about by a 
comfortable fire, but the actual thing is enough to 
make any man prematurely old; sleeping with all 
clothes on, and starting up anxiously at every snap 
and crack in the ice outside, or the ship’s frame within, 
effectually prevents my getting a proper amount of 


141 


rest, and yet I do not see anything else in store for me.” 
On Nov. 24 the Jeannette broke adrift from the floe, 
and the following day was a most anxious and excit¬ 
ing one. If the ship were free when the ice moved 
she would go along with it; if she were tied up she 
might have to stand the brunt in an unfavorable posL 
tion. The advancing ice soon was upon her, and she 
was pushed, forced, squeezed, driven through the mile 
of a canal amid a grinding and groaning of timbers, 
and a crashing and tumbling of ice that was fearful 
to behold. The winter passed in its usual monot- 



GEORGE W. DE LONG. 


onous routine of duties—daily walks of two hours 
duration, hunting, and the like, and De Long writes 
in a depressed state of mind : “ When we add to win¬ 
tering in the pack with all its uncertainties and ter¬ 
rors, the knowledge that we attained no high latitude 
our first season, made no discoveries, as far as we 
know, have made no useful additions to scientific 
knowledge, we cannot help feeling that we are doing 
nothing toward the object of the expedition.” On 
Christmas, he notes, that their surroundings were not 
of the most cheerful character; that in fact it was the 






142 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA FELLERS. 


dreariest day he had ever experienced in his life. On 
New Year’s Day, 1880, the crew had rallied from their 
failure to get up any performances on Christmas Day, 
and a minstrel entertainment was given with great 
success. The cold snap began to be severely felt; the 
berth deck was beaded with moisture, and the mat¬ 
tress covers were mildewing. The master, Danen- 
hower, was suffering from inflammation of the eyes, 
and had to remain in total darkness; but the greater 
part of the crew was in good health. On Jan. loth 
a loud noise as of the cracking of the ship’s frame 
from some great pressure startled De Long as he was 
sitting in his cabin, and, on making an examination, he 
found that water was pouring in, that the fore hold, 
store-room, and part of the fire-room were under 
water. It was difficult to start the steam-pump, but 



GEORGE W. MELVILLE. 


Engineer Melville, by indomitable energy, succeeded 
in getting it into working order. All hands were on 
deck till midnight, and all preparations made to leave 
the ship, sledges packed, boats ready to lower, and 
knapsacks for the crew at hand. Fortunately the 
danger passed away, but, with Danenhower sick, the 
doctor the same, and Dunbar still weak, there was 
little rest for De Long, Chipp, or Melville. Till the 
end of the month the record is, “ Pump, pump, pump,” 
but on February ist the water was held in check. 
During this anxious period Melville was untiring in 
refitting, rearranging, and repairing the steam-pumps. 
Worst of all was the fact that to keep the steam- 
pumps running a great amount of coal had to be con¬ 
sumed. On February 19th the Lieutenant writes, 
“ Our coal supply steadily diminishes, and all our 
hoped-for explorations or discoveries seem slipping 


away from us. Danenhower had undergone an opera¬ 
tion to save his left eye, but it seemed a foregone con¬ 
clusion that he would lose it. There was little change 
in this depressing state of affairs till July, when at 
length the leak was stopped. The ycannei/ehadnow 
been ten months in the ice, and, on examining the 
stock of coal, De Long found he had only fifty-six 
tons left, of which thirty must be kept for cooking 
and warming, leaving twenty-six for steaming. ‘ With 
this,’ he exclaims, ‘ I have to make the Pole, accom¬ 
plish the Northwest Passage, or go back empty- 
handed.’ On July 4th he writes, ‘ We certainly have 
not realized our anticipations by long odds, and I see 
in the faces around me no hope of so doing.’ ” 

Of all records of Arctic travel, this one under De 
Long is the most distressing. The expedition was 
not undertaken for any useful purpose, but to advertise 
a newspaper; the ship was not adapted for the, 
work, and the officers and crew had no experience of 
Arctic work. That all the crew from its commander 
downwards displayed the utmost gallantry, the most 
remarkable fertility of resource and the highest 
endurance, is to their credit, and reflects honor on 
every American seaman. America has had nobler 
sons; but even their heroic temperament seemed 
very soon to presage evil fortune, their spirits were 
depressed, and words of despair are not far distant. 
” I confess to so much disappointment and mortifica¬ 
tion that I am ashamed each day to make an entry in 
this book. No matter how much we have endured ; 
no matter how often we have been in jeopardy; no 
matter that we bring the ship back to our starting 
point; no matter if we were absent ten years instead 
of one, we have failed.” This is not the temper that 
leads to success. On August 12th he cries: “The 
irony of fate ! How long, O Lord, how long ! ” ” If 
we only could do something!” he writes the next 
week. On the 29th he says, " Of course it is for the 
best that we are here, else it would not be the case, 
but oh! how hard to draw any consolation from it.” 

In September preparations for a second winter were 
began, with careful attention to the probability of 
having to abandon the ship suddenly. Snow was 
banked up against the ship’s side, bear-traps were 
set, and the old tale of imprisonment begins afresh. 
” For nearly nine weeks,” De Long writes in his diary 
in October, " we have had rest and now our old cares 
and anxieties begin again to end—when ? We have 
an injured ship, small amount of coal and hardly the 
same vigor as a year ago; we have to trust to God 
and remain by the ship. If we are thrown out on the 
ice we must try to get to Siberia if we can drag our- 



THE ‘‘JEANNETTi: IN THE ICE 
















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































144 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


selves and ford over the two hundred and fifty miles in¬ 
tervening.” In November he notices that their rest was 
broken and unnatural, the men lying awake for hours, 
and rising every morning dull and heavy. Christmas 
was again celebrated, this time with more success 
than in the previous year, and the eve of New Year’s 
Day the performance renewed. The first entry' on 
New Year’s day is: “ I hope to God we are turning over 
a new leaf in our book of luck.” In February the sun 
reappeared, and on the i8th it is recorded that Danen- 
hower, after repeated operations and long confine¬ 
ment, was now able to get a bit of sun and fresh air 
occasionally, and De Long adds, ” That there was no 
reason to hope for his improvement, till he could 
be operated on ashore, and no reason to fear unless 
we should be turned out of the ship.” In May the 
diary contains items like: ” How long could a body of 
men stand this enforced monotony } I do not care 
to commit to paper even my own ideas,” till on the 
i6th land was seen, the first land that had greeted 
their eyes since March 24, 1880. Fourteen months 
without anything to look at but ice and sky, and 
twenty months drifting in the pack, will make a little 
mass of volcanic rock as pleasing as an oasis in the 
desert.” The island was located in Latitude N. 76° 
47' 28" Longitude E. 159° 20,' 45" and called “Jean¬ 
nette Island.” On May 24th more land was in sight, 
and named “ Henriette Island.” A party under 
Melville was despatched May 31st to take possession ; 
it landed June 2d, hoisted our flag, erected a cairn, 
and placed in it a record. On June 8th the ship was 
drifting rapidly to the westward of the island, and on 
the loth (ship’s date, which was really the nth), the 
ice suddenly opened, and on the following day the 
first crash came. The ice commenced to move 
toward the port side, but after advancing a foot or 
two came to rest. At 10 A. M., it had advanced 
toward the port side until these floe pieces had re¬ 
ceived the thrust, and everything quieted down again. 
At 4 P. M. the ice came down in great force all 
along the port side, jaming the ship hard against the 
the ice on the starboard side of her, and causing her 
to heel 16° to starboard. From the snapping and 
cracking of the bunker sides and starting in of the 
starboard ceiling, as well as the opening of the seams 
in the ceiling to the width of one and one-fourth 
inches, it was feared that the ship was about to be 
seriously endangered, and orders were accordingly 
given to lower the starboard boats and haul them 
away from the ship to a safe position on the ice-floe. 
This was done quietly and without confusion. The 
ice, in coming in on the port side, also had a move¬ 


ment towards the stern, and this la.st movement not 
only raised her port bow, but buried the starboard 
quarter, and jamming it and the stern against the 
heavy ice, effectually prevented the ship rising to 
pressure. Mr. Melville, while below in the engine- 
room, saw a break across the ship in the wake of the 
boilers and engines, showing that so solidly were the 
stern and starboard quarters held by the ice, that the 
ship was breaking in two from the pressure upward 
exerted on the port bow of the ship. The starboard 
side of the ship was also evidently broken in, because 
water was rising rapidly in the starboard coal bunkers. 
Orders were now given to land one-half of the pera- 
mican in the deck-house, and all the bread which was 
on deck, and the sleds and dogs were likewise carried 
to a position of safety. At 4.30 there was a lull in 
the pressure, and it was assumed for the moment that 
the ice had united under the ship, and being as close 
together as it could come would occasion no further 
injury, and that they might be able to take care of the 
ship yet. The ship was heeled 22° to starboard, and 
was raised forward 4' 6", the entire port bow being 
visible also to a height of 4' 6" from the forefoot. 
In the early morning De Long writes we had been 
able to see through the water down alongside the 
stern on the starboard side, and we could see that the 
forefoot was bent to starboard about a foot. This 
would indicate that the pressure received on the 19th 
of January', 1880, was from port to starboard, instead 
of the other way, as we then supposed. But at 5 
p. M. the pressure was renewed and continued with 
tremendous force, the ship cracking in every part. 
The spar deck commenced to buckle up, and the star¬ 
board side seemed again on the point of coming in. 
Orders were now given to get out provisions, clothing, 
bedding, ships books, and papers, and to remove all 
sick to a place of safety. While engaged in this work 
another tremendous pressure was received, and at 6 
P. M. it was found that the ship was beginning to fill. 

From that time forward every effort was devoted to 
getting provisions, etc., on the ice, and it was not de¬ 
sisted from until the water had risen to the spar deck, 
the ship being heeled to starboard about 30°. The 
entire starboard side of the spar-deck was submerged, 
the rail being under water, and the water line reach¬ 
ing to the hatch combings. The starboard side was 
evidently broken in abreast of the mainmast, and the 
ship was settling fast. Our ensign had been hoisted 
at the mizzen, and every preparation made for aban¬ 
doning, and at 8 p. M. everybody was ordered to leave 
the ship. Assembling on the floe, we dragged all our 
boats and provisions clear of the bad cracks, and pre- 


VOYAGE OF THE - JEANNETTE"—187Q-1881. 


145 


pared to camp down for the night. On the 12th, the 
mizzenmast of the ship went by the board, and her 
lower yard-arms rested on the ice. In two hours’ 
time she sank till her smokepipe had nearly disap¬ 
peared, and at 4 A. M. she righted to an even keel and 
slowly sank. So ended the Jeannette. 

For the next six days all hands were busy pre¬ 
paring for the march ; sledges were loaded and men 
assigned, clothing served out, and an order of march 
and daily routine issued ; and on June i8th the ship¬ 
wrecked explorers started on their journey, all except 
five were in good-health ; these were Danenhower 
and Chipp, and three men—Alexey, Tong Sing, and 
Kuehne. At no time of the year was travelling worse 
than at this; the ice was in bad condition and prog¬ 
ress almost impossible. 

On June 23d, the daily routine and manner of prog¬ 
ress marked out on the i6th had to be abandoned for 
several reasons, the principal of which was the impos¬ 
sibility of telling one minute how the ice would be 
the next; and, second in importance, because men 
cannot do this kind of work ten and a half hours 
each day without breaking down. By and by, per¬ 
haps, when our loads are lighter, we may be able to 
do it, but just now it is out of the question. Our 
route having been indicated by several black flags 
placed after a halt, or before a start, Mr. Dunbar goes 
ahead at 8 P. M. to make sure that no bridges have 
become necessary in the meantime. Then right after 
him goes Melville, with nearly all hands, dragging the 
heavy sleds. No. i (already christened the Walrus) 
requires all his force, but generally he can start two 
of the others at one time. Ericksen and Leach run 
two dog-sleds, trip after trip, all day; while I load 
and occasionally run one myself ahead, to mark prog¬ 
ress and indicate the route. The loaded sleds being 
up, Melville’s party comes back for the boats. “ I 
then start the doctor ahead with the sick, to go as 
far as the heavy sleds have been dragged. I then get 
the medical sled and run a load up to the same place 
By this time the boats are up, and 11 P. M. has 
arrived, and I break off the cooks to get din¬ 
ner while Melville and his party drag the sleds 
ahead another stage. Then there is midnight, 
and- 

June 24th, Friday.—Dinner succeeds. At one, we 
turn to, drag the boats to where we left the sleds; 
then along goes the doctor and the sick to that place ; 
then ahead go the sleds again ; again the boats, al¬ 
ways the dog-sleds, and, finally, at 5:30 or 6 P. M., I 
bring up the rear guard. We prepare for supper, 
pitch camp, and the dog-sleds get up with the last 


load. At seven we sup, at eight pipe down, to be 
called at 6 p. m. 

We, therefore, haul nine hours a day, sleep or rest 
ten, meal-hours three, and the other two hours are 
occupied in pitching camp, serving out and cooking 
food, breaking camp, and marking road ahead. There 
is no work in the world harder than this sledging; 
and with my two line officers constantly on the sick 
list I have much on my hands. In Melville I have a 
strong support, as well as a substitute for them ; and, 
as long as he remains as he is, strong and well, I 
shall get along all right. The doctor is willing and 
anxious to pitch in and haul like a seaman, but I 
consider him more necessary to the sick, and have 
directed him to remain with and accompany them.” 

This extract from De Long’s diary tells better than 
anything the terrible difficulties they had to contend 
with. These difficulties were regular, and, once men¬ 
tioned, need no repetition. In July evidences accumu¬ 
lated that land was not far off, and it was hoped that 
it was the Liakoff Islands. On the 28th the fog 
cleared up a little, and the situation improved some¬ 
what, as a few pieces of ice offered a convenient 
bridge. A large floe cake was ahead. Everything 
was embarked on an ice-cake for a ferry-boat, and a 
hauling line run through the floe. By great effort we 
got our piece clear by 4 P. M., and commenced to 
haul over. Suddenly everybody gave a shout, 
“ Look ! ” Away up over our heads 2,500 (?) feet 
towered the land, and we were sweeping past it like 
a millstream. Hurriedly sounded in eighteen and 
one-half fathoms. Soon our floe was reached. Away 
we jumped our sleds and boats and, seeing two or 
three large cakes nearly together, ran everything 
rapidly over until we at last stood at the base of the 
ice-cap. It was a narrow squeeze, for the men with 
the tents and the remaining loose provisions on their 
shoulders had hard work to run fast enough to get 
on the last cake before the other cakes were swept 
away. Now that we were on the last cake our situa¬ 
tion became critical. We could not get up on the ice¬ 
foot, for ten feet of water and small lumps intervened, 
and we were sweeping along by it at a rate of three 
miles an hour. Our cake was none of the strongest, 
and in the swirling and running masses and small 
bergs I feared we should be broken and separated. 
It was an anxious moment. The southwest cape of 
the island was not half a mile away, and this was our 
last chance. Over two weeks of dragging and work¬ 
ing to reach this island seemed about to be thrown 
away. I soon noticed our cake begin to turn round, 
and saw that it might be whirled into a kind of cor- 


146 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


ner against the fast ice, where, if it remained long 
enough, a landing might be effected. 

“ Stand-by,” was the order now; and, with sled 
ropes in hand, we waited the trying moment. Soon 
our cake caught and held. “ Now is the time, Chipp ! ” 
I shouted ; and away we went. 

One sled got over on the rough ice-foot all right; a 
second nearly fell overboard ; the third did fall over¬ 
board, dragging in Cole; and a piece of ice had to 
be dragged in by sheer force to bridge for the fourth. 
When I started the St. Michael’s sleds, they seemed 
to stick somewhere. Watching our cake closely I saw 
signs of its giving way. “ Away with the boats ! ” 
But how ? Nindemann sang out that he thought we 
could float the boats below, and haul them over. No 
sooner said than done, and down they went into the 
water. The men were hurried from the sleds to the 
boats, and I saw the first cutter just beginning to 
haul out, when away swept our ice-cake, carrying 
Melville, Iversen, Aneguin, and myself, with six dogs. 
Wilson had carried one load of dogs over in the 
ding^, but he could not get back for the remainder. 
Chipp was on the ice-foot with the boats, and I knew 
he could look out for them, and I felt pretty certain 
we had saved everything. For ourselves, on the 
drifting ice-cake, I had some little anxiety, but one 
corner of our cake fortunately soon after drifted near 
a fast berg, and by making a flying leap through the 
air, we escaped in safety. At last! But though stand¬ 
ing still, we were not ashore. The ice-foot extended 
out from the land, and was a confused mass of piled- 
up ice-blocks and ridges, honey-combed, cracked, 
and broken, and presenting a simply impassable road 
for travel with sleds. Glad enough was I to get a 
solid foothold anywhere, and I gave the order to 
camp at 6.30 P. M. (our first sled having got on the 
ice-foot about five), everything being hauled in as 
near to the land as possible, say fifty feet from it. 
Rocks were occasionally slipping down and falling 
into a little stream of water at the foot of the cliff, 
the stream being where the thawing of surface ice 
has left a channel about four feet deep. 

Supper at 7.30 p. M. At 8.30 p. M. all hands were 
called to muster, and, led by me, everybody waded, 
or jumped, or ferried over to the land, where we held 
on as well as we could to the steep slopes of debris, 
while our colors were displayed. When all had 
gathered around me, I said, “ I have to announce to 
to you that this island, towards which we have 
been struggling for more than two weeks, is newly 
discovered land. I therefore take possession of it in 
the name of the President of the United States, and 


name it Bennett Island. I now call upon you to give 
three cheers.” And never were there more lusty 
cheers given. With great kindness three were then 
given for me. The crew were given as much liberty 
as was possible on American soil; but, as Jack com¬ 
plained, it was a dry christening, and though he was 
just come ashore with two years’ pay, where was he 
to spend it ? 

On August 6th, they left Bennett Island in three boats, 
De Long in the first cutter. Lieutenant Chipp in the 
second, and Melville in the whale-boat. Winter had 
now really set in, but as long as there was open water 
their progress to the south was rapid. Experience, 
however, soon showed that it would be impossible to 
carry the sleds with them across the open water be¬ 
tween the islands, for which they were making, and 
the coast of Siberia. The sleds, therefore, were cut 
up for firewood, but next day they found themselves 
shut solidly in the ice, and it became evident that the 
existence of the party depended on their provisions. 
On August 18th, the last ration of bread was served 
out; the ration of Liebig was reduced to half an 
ounce per diem, coffee was served out at breakfast 
only, and tea at other meals. In September the party 
landed at Kotelnor Island, one of the New Siberian 
group where several ruined huts were seen and piles 
of deer horns. They found here elephants’ tusks, 
wooden cups, spoons, and forks, and a Russian Kopek, 
dated 1840. September loth saw them at Semenovski 
Island, and De Long had great hopes of being able 
to go on to the Lena without difficulty. Cape Barkin, 
the point of destination, was only ninety miles dis¬ 
tant, when on the night of the 12th the wind fresh¬ 
ened to a gale. At 9 p. M, De Long lost sight 
of the whale-boat, and at 10 p. M. of the second 
cutter. Melville describes the scene in these graphic 
words: 

“ So when De Long waved me permission to leave 
him, I hoisted sail, shook out one reef, and as we 
gathered way the boat shot forward like an arrow, 
and the spray flew about us like feathers. Hereto¬ 
fore we had been running dead before the wind on 
our southwest course for the land, but the heavy sea 
and lively motion of the boat caused the sail to jibe 
and fill on the other tack, whereupon we would broach 
to and ship water. For this reason I hauled up the 
boat several points, or closer to the wind, and our con¬ 
dition at once improved. Now that we were sepa¬ 
rated, I resolved to concern myself directly with the 
safety of my own boat; so that when one of the 
men said that De Long was signaling us, I told him 
he must be wrong, and further directed that no one 


VOYAGE OF TEE " JEANNETTE"—/S7(^/SS/. 


H7 


should sec any signals now that we were cast upon 
our own resources. 

“ The whale-boat was leaping forward at a spanking 
rate and fast distancing the first cutter, when, hear¬ 
ing another of the crew exclaim that De Long was 
signaling Chipp, I turned around and looked back 
over my left shoulder towards where I expected the 
second cutter would be. For an instant she was not 
to be seen, but presently I saw her far off in the dim 
twilight rise full before the wind on the crest of a 


viving members of the first cutter (Nindemann and 
Noros) has confirmed me in this belief; for they wit¬ 
nessed the scene as I have described it, and state that 
it was the general opinion of De Long’s crew that I 
had shared the same fate simultaneously with Chipp." 

After a miserable day and night De Long and thir¬ 
teen others landed at the Lena Delta, and resolved to 
walk to a settlement which they calculated would be 
ninety-five miles distant; for this journey they had 
four days’ provisions and were all well. 



LANDING ON THE HENRIETTA ISLAND. 


wave, and then sink briefly out of sight. Once more 
she appeared; an immense sea enveloped her; she 
broached to ; I could discern a man striving to free 
the sail where it had jammed against the mast; she 
plunged again from view; and, though wave after 
wave rose and fell, I saw nothing but foam and seeth¬ 
ing whitecaps of the cold, dark sea. When last seen, 
the second cutter was about one thousand yards 
astern of us, the first cutter probably midway be¬ 
tween, and there is no doubt in my mind that she then 
foundered. A conversation with the only two sur- 


Progress, however, was terribly slow, the men were 
soon used up, all of them seemed to have lost feeling 
in their toes. “ I was mucn impressed,’’ writes the 
unfortunate leader, “by an accident last Sunday. Our 
Bible got soaking wet, and I had to read the epistle 
and gospel out of my prayer-book. The gospel con¬ 
tained some promises which seemed peculiarly 
adapted to our condition. The passage was Matthew 
vi. 24. Deer tracks were seen, and this cheered them 
a little, but one of the men lay down desiring to be 
left, he could not keep up with the party nor could 













148 


G/^EA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


they carry him. To reach anywhere in four days 
with men disabled is out of the question.” Ninde- 
mann and Alexey were sent out to shoot deer if possi¬ 
ble, but, although they saw a herd, they could not get 
near it. On September 21st they were eighty-seven 
miles from a probable settlement, with two days’ 
rations and three lame men who could not make more 
than five miles a day, and De Long concluded to halt 
his main body at a spot where some huts were dis¬ 
covered standing, and to send on two good walkers 
to get relief. The doctor (Ambler) and Nindemann, 
were chosen for this purpose, but the capture of two 
deer changed this plan, and they struggled forward, 
now and then shooting a deer, now and then catching 
a sea-gull, and at times trying to fish. Ericksenwas 
dying and had to be carried. On October ist De 
Long writes : “ My chart is simply useless. I must go 
on trusting in God to guide me to a settlement, for I 
have long since realized that we are powerless to help 
ourselves.” On October 3d their last dog was killed 
for food, on the 6th Ericksen died, and " everybody 
is very weak,” and on the 7th the record says, " No 
provisions left;” and on the 9th Nindemann and Noros 
were sent ahead to attempt to reach a settlement. 
Then De Long’s diary has shorter entries, “ Nothing 
for supper, but a spoonful of glycerine.” October 
14th, unable to move. October 12th, everybody get¬ 
ting weaker. 17th, Alexey died. Then comes the 
last page of the diary: 

Friday, October 21st. 

131st day—Kaack was found dead about midnight 
between the doctor and myself, 

Lee died about noon. 

Read prayers for sick when he found he was going, 

Saturday, October 22d. 

i32d day—Too weak to carry the bodies of Lee 
and Kaack out on the ice. The doctor, Collins, and 
I carried them around the corner out of sight. Then 
my eye closed up. 

Sunday, October 23d. 

133d day—Everybody pretty weak. Slept or rested 
all day, and then managed to get enough wood in be¬ 
fore dark. Read part of divine service. Suffering in 
our feet. No foot-gear, 

Monday, October 24th. 

134th day—A hard night. 

Tuesday, October 25th. 

135th day— 

Wednesday, October 26th. 

136th day— 

Thursday, October 27th. 

137th day—Iveson broken down. 


Friday, October 28th, 

138th day—Iveson died during early morning. 

Saturday, October 29th. 

139th day—Dressier died during night. 

Sunday, Oct. 30th, 

140th day—Boyd and Gbrtz died during night. Mr, 
Collins dying. 

It is beyond the power of words to add to the 
pathos of these simple lines. 

Nindemann and Noros, starting on Oct. 9th, were in¬ 
structed to make a forced march to Ku-Mark-Surtafor 
relief. They occasionally took refuge in huts, where 
they found scraps of decaying offal, but before the 
15th of the month they were reduced to eating their 
seal-skin pantaloons and drinking willow tea. On 
the 19th they were so exhausted that they could 
scarcely move for five minutes at a time and dysen¬ 
tery attacked them ; but, on the 19th, a native ar¬ 
rived at their camp, and soon others came in. Nin¬ 
demann endeavored to explain to them that De Long’s 
party was perishing twenty miles to the north, but 
the natives shook their heads and conveyed the two 
sailors to Ku-Mark-Surta. On the 27th a Russian 
appeared who placed them in charge of a man who 
was to take them to Belun. They gave him a note 
stating their condition, and on the 29th they arrived 
at Belun, and there, on November 2d, to their intense 
joy, Melville arrived, having received their note of 
the 29th. Melville could make himself understood in 
Russian, and the two sailors now had the best the 
place could afford. 

We shall now follow Melville and the fortunes of 
the whale-boat. 

After the whale-boat, under the command of Mel¬ 
ville parted company with its consorts on the terrible 
night of September 12th, the course was laid about 
southwest for Cape Barkin, and the boat struck the 
coast line in the Bay of Borkhia, about twenty miles 
east of the cape. At dawn of the i6th, she was in 
shoal water and soon was well within the mouth of 
the Lena River. Here Melville hesitated whether he 
ought to go on, or direct his course to Cape Barkin 
in the chance of finding De Long and Chipp there. 
Danenhower advised the latter course, but the men 
were evidently reluctant to risk another gale at sea, 
and the discovery of a deep channel induced them to 
push on up the river. Landings were occasionally 
made, and abandoned huts visited till at length three 
canoes with a native in each approached them. The 
meeting was a friendly one, and Melville with consid¬ 
erable difficulty, managed to explain to them his desire 
to. reach Bolan. They would not however act as 


VOYAGE OF THE "JEANNETTE"—1879-1881. 


149 


pilots, and it was resolved “ go it alone,” but this 
attempt was unsuccessful and an old native, Vasili 
Kool Gar, was ultimately induced to guide the party. 
At length a village named Jawavelut was reached, 
and after renewed difficulties they entered Bolan 
where they met Noros and Nindemann. Now began 
the search for De Long. Mr. Danenhower was 
directed to take all the men to Yakutsk; Barkett, the 
fireman, remained at Belun and Melville himself set out 
northwest for Buruloch. At North Belun a native 
brought in a paper which proved to be a letter from 
De Long, dated April 22d, giving a brief account of 
the loss of the ship, and then another letter of the date 
of September 26th, was produced recording the arrival 
of De Long’s party at a point about twelve miles from 
the head of the Lena Delta. The weather was 
remorseless, dogs and men all suffered, provisions 
were scarce and bad, and reindeer teams could not be 
procured, so nothing was left but to return to Belun, 
which was reached November 27th. On December 
1st, Melville set off to Verkeransk, .and passing that 
settlement, came to Yakutsk on December 30, 1881. 
Here the Russian governor and officials lent every 
assistance ; and three interpreters. Captain Gronbeck, 
who had been with the Nordenskiold expedition. 
Captain Babokoff, an exiled officer of cuirassiers, and 
Kolinkin, a Cossack sergeant, were engaged. On 
January 27th, Melville and Gronbeck started north 
again and on reaching Belun made arrangements for 
a systematic search. The weather was again terrible, 
too severe even for the natives and progress was 
almost impossible ; indeed the party was storm-bound 
till March 14th. 

Nindemann had by this time joined Melville, and 
recognized some of the features of the country, and 
under his directions a careful search began. On 


March 23d a fire-bed with many foot-prints was dis¬ 
covered, and it was certain that the trail was found. 
As they proceeded to explore the banks of the river, 
they found some sticks’protruding from the snow and 
in them a Remington rifle, and near the fire-bed the 
hand and arm of a body rose up out of the snow. 
Melville at once recognized De Long. He lay on his 
right side, with his hand under his cheek, his head to 
the north, and his face to the west. Four feet from 
him lay his note-book, where he had tossed it with 
his left hand, which looked as if it had been frozen 
stiff in the act. Near their chief lay Dr. Ambler and 
the Chinese cook Ah Sam. The bodies were piously 
removed, and Melville ascertained positively that the 
report of Dr. Ambler having committed suicide was 
false. Next day further exhumations were made, 
and the bodies of Boyd, G6rtz, Ivesen, Collins, and 
Dressier recovered, and last of all Lee and Kaack, 
whom De Long had carried “ round the corner ” 
when he was too weak to bury them. 

The burial ground chosen for the resting-place of 
these Arctic martyrs was a bold promontory over¬ 
looking the Polar Sea. A pit three feet deep was 
excavated, and in it the cairn coffin was placed, 
covered by a heavy lid, on which stood a cross 
twenty-five feet high with cross-arms twelve feet 
long. 

Melville then began a search for the second cutter’s 
party and Lieutenant Chipp, but no traces of the lost 
explorers were ever discovered. 

So ended without any addition to useful knowledge, 
this hapless expedition, but it will be ever memorable 
for its display of calm endurance, true piety, and 
dauntless courage. The deaths of these heroes 
furnish a noble contrast to the experience of the 
following Arctic exploration. 


150 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


CHAPTER XV. 


LIEUTENANT GREELY AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION—1881-1884. 



LIEUTENANT GREELY. 


Captain Weyprecht of the Tegetthoff, after his 
return to Germany, presented to the German Scientific 
Society a scheme for systematic Polar research, and 
his plan was laid before the International Meteoro¬ 
logical Congress, during its meeting at Rome in the 
year 1879. In consequence of action then taken, an 
International Polar Congress met at Hamburg in 
October, 1879, and resolutions were passed recom¬ 
mending the establishment of twelve stations, four to 
be in the Antarctic regions and one in the Archipelago 


of North America. This latter station, to be occupied 
by the United States Signal Service, was placed at 
Lady Franklin Bay, and Lieutenant A. W. Greely, of 
the Fifth Cavalry, was appointed chief of the expedi¬ 
tion on March ii, 1881. The plan contemplated the 
transport of the expedition by steamer to Lady 
Franklin Bay, where 1 t was to establish its winter 
quarters, and remain till visited in the following 
year. The Proteus was selected for the purpose of 
carrying the party to its destination from St. Johns, 
N. B., and on July 4th, with all on board, she turned 
her prow towards Greenland. 

At the Danish settlement of Upernavik some dogs 
were taken on board, and, on August nth, the ship 
rounded Cape Lieber, and found Lady Franklin Bay 
clear of ice. Here Lieutenant Greely landed at the 
“ discovery winter quarters,” where the English expe¬ 
dition of 1876 had left two copper cases labelled, 
" Records and General Information.” Already there 
were signs of dissension in the expedition. Mr. Clay, 
a grandson of the great orator, left the party on the 
16th, and Lieutenant Kislingborz begged to be re¬ 
lieved from duty on the 25th. The former returned 
to the United States in the Proteus, the latter was 
unable to join that ship, and, therefore, remained 
without returning to duty. 

All hands were set to work building a house 60 
feet long and 17 broad, with double walls, divided 
into three rooms, and to it was given the name of 
Fort Conger. As soon as this necessary work was 
completed, field work began, and several trips to the 
northward were made, with especial instructions to 
look for traces of the missing Jeannette. The infor¬ 
mation gained by these sledging parties led to the 
conclusion that travelling northward along Grinnell 
Land was rarely practicable in autumn. October 15 
was the last day of sunlight, but it was determined to 
break the monotony of the winter by continuing the 
sledging parties, but after two or three had been dis¬ 
patched the commander was satisfied that any advan¬ 
tages gained were not commensurate with the dan¬ 
ger in the case of trips exceeding one or two days’ 



LIEUT. CREEL y AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION—1881-1884. 


absence from headquarters. So, to pass the long dark 
night, a school was started, Lieut. Lockwood got out a 
semi-monthly paper The Arctic Morn, which, however, 
only ran through two numbers ; and snow-shoe races, 
and rifle matches were organized. On December loth 
a number of the men gave indication of being men¬ 
tally affected by the continued darkness, even some 
of the Esquimaux tried to desert. Christmas and 
New Year’s were celebrated in due fashion, and so 
the regular routine of Arctic life proceeded, scientific 
observations were made, temperatures recorded, and 
such phenomena as the aurora or the lunar halo 
noted and sketched. A storm which must have been 
the most violent for the previous six years visited 
them in January, but on February 28th the welcome 
sun again reappeared. 

In anticipation of this day-dawn, Lieut. Lockwood 
had set out, February 19th, to visit Cape Beechy, and 
examine the ice in Reben’s Channel, with a view to a 
trip to Thank-God Harbor. On March 3d we reached 
the observatory that had been erected in 1871 by Bes¬ 
sels, and made an inventory of the supplies that had 
been stored there. The grave of Captain Hall was 
found to be in good order, and in an adjoining cairn 
the records of the British expedition of 1875 were 
found. Lockwood pushed on to Newman Bay, and 
near Cape Sumner found the boats that had been left 
by the Polaris. The time occupied by this trip was 
ten days, and the distance travelled one hundred and 
thirty-five miles. As a result of the report made by 
Lockwood, Dr. Pavy was sent out to establish a depot 
near Cape Sumner, and he consequently placed the 
stock of supplies that he carried in a break in the 
coast which was designated The Gap, and thither, a 
few days later. Sergeant Brainard transferred the Po¬ 
laris boat. The temperature during this trip aver¬ 
aged 40°, and the weather was favorable. 

On March 19th, Dr. Pavy was sent northward in an 
attempt to reach land north of Cape Joseph Henry, 
and left Fort Conger March 19th. The remains of 
the English depot of 1875 was to be his base of 
operations; on the 24th, he was at Mount Parry, and 
in the following days was engaged moving supplies 
to Black Cape. On April nth he reached the Alert 
winter quarters, and from the lookout there, as far as 
he could see, the pack consisted of rough and hum¬ 
mocky ice. The doctor determined not to cross 
Feilden Peninsula, but to follow the coast to Cape 
Joseph Henry, and on the 20th, he succeeded in trans¬ 
porting his stores to a point about four miles north of 
that headland ; and thence proceeded in the direction 
of Cape Hecla in order to establish another depot. 


151 

On the 23d, however, “ water ” was announced by 
one of the Esquimaux, and it became evident that the 
polar pack was becoming disintegrated, and that the 
situation would be critical if any gale arose. Dr. 
Pavy at once returned to Cape Joseph Henry, aban¬ 
doning his tent, provisions, and part of his scientific 
instruments, and taking only provisions enough to 
enable the party to reach Harley Spit. This spot 
they reached on the 24th, and on the 26th, were again 
in the snow-house at Black Cape, and finally reached 
Fort Conger on May 2d. 

Lieutenant Greely had long been convinced that 
the interior of Grinnell Land could be explored suc¬ 
cessfully, and, on April 26th, he set out in person to 
make the attempt. In his field journal he writes, 
under date of the 29th : 

“ To-day’s discoveries change Conybeare Bay into 
a fiord (Chandler Fiord). It is quite certain that the 
site of Camp No. 3, where the two valleys united, is 
that which was thought to be the end of the bay by 
Lieutenant Archer’s party. This is evident, not only 
from the appearance of the country from Stony Cape, 
which conveyed the same impression to me, but also 
from the bearings given on his map. Archer Fiord 
to the southward of Miller Island was completely 
shut off by the south side of Conybeare Bay, just 
after leaving Camp No. 3, so that the greater part of 
to-day’s travel has been over a part of the fiord which 
could not possibly have been seen by Lieutenant 
Archer. The arm of the fiord opens to the north, a 
direction to an observing eye from the eastward, the 
most unlikely. This arm, about five miles at its 
southern extremity, narrows gradually to three miles 
at our present camp. On the eastern side the cliffs 
are continuous—sheer precipices—save occasional 
breaks, or notches, which are in no manner practica¬ 
ble. The general elevation is never less than one 
thousand, and sometimes as great as fifteen hundred, 
feet. On the west side the cliffs, while attaining a 
general elevation of about two thousand feet (decreas¬ 
ing gradually from three thousand feet at Promontory 
Point to fifteen hundred at our present camp), have 
occasional gorges of no great size, which never attain 
to the dignity of ravines. Possibly at one gorge they 
could be scaled, but it would be decidedly hazardous. 
Our journey of twenty-one miles is a remarkable 
day’s travel, which never could have been made except 
by reason of the extraordinary condition of the ice. 
I have worked all day in the drag-ropes, except 
during the time taken for some eight miles extra travel, 
and am quite worn out this morning from lack of 
sleep through pain in my left foot, caused by break*»ig 


152 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


through the snow, covering a tidal crack, into the 
sharp-pointed ice beneath, while pulling heavily. The 
instep appears to be badly bruised, and I suffer 
much from it to-day, although at the time it did not 
appear to be so serious, I regretted to break in on 
Connell’s sleep, after a long march, but I felt the 
necessity of getting both latitude and time sights at 
this point.” 

At the head of Chandler Fiord a fresh-water river 
descends from the interior, and this river-ice was 
level and smooth, affording excellent travelling, and 
the explorers could hear the noise of the water flow¬ 
ing below it, till on the 30th they came to the open 
stream about fifty yards wide. Trav’elling along its 
bordering ice-walls, the explorers came to an immense 
ice-bound lake, and beyond it a snow-clad range of 
hills. The lake was named Lake Hazen, the range 
of hills, the Garfield Range ; and the river the Rug- 
gles River. Here some ptarmigan and hares were 
shot, musk oxen were in sight, and fish, six or seven 
inches in length, were discovered in the lake. On 
May 2d, they came in sight of a large glacier, which 
was named Henrietta Nesmith, after Mrs. Greely; its 
vertical front was about one hundred and fifty feet 
high, and its breadth, from hill to hill, about five 
miles, 

“ The top of it was pure, dead-white, densely 
opaque, resembling in a marked manner the surface 
of loaf sugar, or broken and unpolished white mar¬ 
ble. Lower down it shaded into a color bordering on 
blue, the whole very much resembling floe-bergs. In 
general the color of the ice, which lay in detached 
piles at the foot, was a delicate blue, shading closely 
on the white, but in certain places strata of a faint 
yellowish color were to be seen. These strata were 
irregularly confined to certain points, and formed a 
very inconsiderable portion of the visible front. Their 
color, while in the glacier itself, gave the appearance 
of a delicately-tinted rose-shade, which, as I have 
said, changed to a faint yellowish on close examina¬ 
tion. There were three large deeply-worn gullies or 
channels on the surface of the glacier, one at the 
centre and one near each side, which showed that in 
the summer and autumn very considerable streams of 
water must be discharged from the surface of the 
glacier. The side gullies were of inconsiderable size 
compared with the central one. The lowest part of 
the crown of the glacier was at a point where water 
of the largest discharging channel had worn deeply 
into the ice, leaving its elevation not more than a hun¬ 
dred feet. 

“ This sledge journey was an exceedingly fruitful one 


in its results. It disclosed physical conditions in the 
interior of Grinnell Land hitherto unsuspected. The 
absence of discharging glaciers which had excited 
remark on account of the extreme latitude of Grinnell 
Land was now explained by the discovery of a broken, 
rugged country, intersected by a system of fiords and 
lakes which readily drains, during the short Arctic 
summer, the inconsiderable snow-fall. The valleys, 
bare of snow, give birth to vegetation, luxuriant for 
the latitude, which serves as pasturage for consider¬ 
able game. The presence of the glaciers, bursting 
through the Garfield Range, proved the existence of 
an ice-cap on the northern part of Grinnell Land, and 
inferentially a radically different topography from 
the country in the vicinity of Discovery Harbor and 
Lake Hazen.” 

While these journeys were being made, Lieut. Lock- 
wood was dispatched to explore the North Greenland 
coast. The party proceeded to Cape Sumner, and 
the Discovery Boat Camp, encountering violent storms, 
and on April i6th started from the latter place for 
the north with three hundred rations. The journey 
was painfully laborious, the men complained of 
sleeping cold, the sleeping bags being frozen stiff. At 
Heaton Gorge, on April 26th, they found the depot 
left by the English explorer Beaumont, and next day 
reached Cape Bryant. Here Cape Britannia was 
clearly visible, and here the supporting party termi¬ 
nated their journey. On the 29th, Lockwood, accom¬ 
panied by Brainard and Christansen turned his face 
northward over the frozen sea. He travelled direct 
for Cape Britannia, and on May 3d reached that point, 
while on May 7th they were at Lew Point, in latitude 
equal to that of the most northerly land ever before 
reached; and on the nth they encamped on Mary 
Murray Island, where a gale delayed them for sixty- 
three hours. The last march is thus described by 
Lieutenant Lockwood: 

“Started at 1.45 a.m., after building a small cairn 
near-by. The North Cape of Wild Fiord disappeared 
from view shortly after starting, but the travelling was 
very good near shore over ‘ Blue-Top Floe,’ and at 
3.45 A.M. the cape was reached. Here, and along the 
line of cliffs beyond which it terminates, immense 
masses of bergs and hummocks were pressed so 
closely to the foot of the cliffs that it was necessary 
to get outside on the floe. A tortuous way was 
found to the top of this ice-wall, and the sledge then 
lowered, by means of the traces, some fifteen feet or 
more. For some distance we worked our way slowly 
through a mass of rubble-ice, with the constant use 
of the axe, and crossed two or three small lanes of 


153 


LIEUT. GREET Y AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION—1SS1-1884. 


water; and beyond travelled for a few hundred yards 
on a ‘ clear ’ floe of last year’s ice, when at 5.30-6.15 
A.M., we were stopped by another lead or lane of 
water. The sun being discernible, I took an observa¬ 
tion, and at the same time sent Frederik to find a 
crossing. (This crossing, says Sergeant Brainard,was 
dangerous, owing to thin and rotten ice.) One being 
found, we continued over a floe of last year’s ice, at 
quite a rapid gait, on a line generally parallel to the 
cliffs. Presently, the weather clearing, a large, wide 
inlet (Weyprecht Inlet), with the cliffs and mountains 


on its farther side, opened up to view, forming a 
grand panorama, the most remarkable yet observed. 
To the right oblique the line of cliffs ended in a cape, 
from which the coast turned abruptly to the south, 
and then ran in a curve toward the southeast, form¬ 
ing the western shore of the inlet. Directly ahead 
was a pyramid-shaped island (Lockwood Island) of 
considerable altitude, which seemed to touch the line 
of cliffs back of it, which ran almost north and south, 
ending in a cape (Cape Kane) to the northeast of our 
position, and on the other hand gradually curving 


back to the southeast, and forming the eastern side 
of the inlet. A little to the right of the island 
referred to is another (Brainard Island), apparently of 
a cone shape. The land to their rear towered up to 
an enormous height, and formed a mountain, certainly 
not less than four thousand feet in height, completely 
dwarfing the islands and cliffs beneath. The tide- 
crack, which we were now on the outside of, ran in a 
great curve between the two capes at the extremities 
of the inlet, and was marked by a wall of ice-hum¬ 
mocks. Inside was a level surface of snow, covering 


a floe which extended from shore to shore, and out¬ 
side alternate masses of rubble and smooth floes of 
last year’s ice.” 

Ten hours’ work carried them only sixteen miles, 
and, worn out by travel through deep snow, they made 
their farthest camp at the north end of Lockwood 
Island, which, by circum-meridian and sub-polar ob¬ 
servations reduced by Gauss’ method, was deter¬ 
mined to be in 83® 23' 8" N„ the highest latitude 
ever attained by man. 

Of this event Sergeant Brainard’s field notes say: 































154 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


“ We have reached a higher latitude than ever before 
reached by mortal man, and, on a land farther north 
than was supposed by many to exist, we unfurled 
the glorious Stars and Stripes to the exhilarating 
northern breezes with an exultation impossible to de¬ 
scribe.” 

For three centuries England had held the honors of 
the farthest north. The latitude of Hudson, 80“ 23' 
in 1607, gave way to Phipps, who reached 80° 48' N. 
in 1773. Scoresby, the elder, in 1806, reached 81° 12' 
42" N.; and twenty-one years later came Parry’s 
memorable journey, which he reached 82° 45'. These 
latitudes were all attained in the Greenland Sea. 
Inglefield opened to the world the Smith Sound 
route, and in 1871, Meyer reached 82° 09', the high¬ 
est on land, and Payer, a year later, almost equalled 
Meyer by his sledge journey to Cape Fligely (82° 07') 
Franz Josef Land. In 1876 Alrich surpassed Parry’s 
famous latitude, and reached Cape Columbia 83® 07' 
N., only to be surpassed on sea a few weeks later, by 
Markham, 83° 20' 26’' N., during that journey over 
the Great Frozen Sea in which such energy, persis¬ 
tency, and courage were exhibited by the officers and 
men of the Royal Navy. 

Now Lockwood, profiting by the labors and expe¬ 
riences of this “ kin across the sea,” surpassed their 
efforts of three centuries by land and ocean. And 
with Lockwood’s name should be associated that of 
his inseparable sledge-companion, Brainard, without 
whose efficient aid and restless energy, as Lockwood 
said, the work could not have been accomplished. 

So, with proper pride, they looked that day from 
their vantage ground of the farthest north (Lockwood 
Island) to the desolate cape which, until surpassed in 
coming ages, may well bear the grand name of 
Washington.” 

June opened at Fort Conger with the return of 
Lieutenant Lockwood, and at the end of the month 
Greely again set out for Grinnell Land, leaving the 
fort on June 24th with four companions. On the 
second day, Greely notes, that the country opened 
into a fine level valley covered in the main by a very 
considerable quantity of grass, with many young 
willows, and soon was surrounded by a system of 
small lakes which drained into Lake Hazen. On the 
28th he stood at the spot where the Ruggles River 
flows from the lake, where numerous abandoned 
Esquimaux huts were discovered, herds of musk oxen 
were sighted, and terns and ducks flew along the 
open water. Several rivers were passed, and the vege¬ 
tation was very rank on the margins of the streams 
and lakes, but as they advanced snow was frequently 


met with, and on July 4th they started to ascend a 
high mountain a few miles to the southwest. This 
is by barometrical measurement fifty feet above the 
highest peak of the Victoria Range ascended by 
Lieutenant Lockwood, and was named Mount C. A. 
Arthur. He was now in the west of Grinnell Land, 
and thus writes in his journal: 

“ The whole country seems spread out before me 
as on a map. A second chain of mountains (Conger 
Mountains) is seen extending to the westward as the 
prolongation of the Garfield Range. They are sepa¬ 
rated by a break of eight or ten miles from Mount 
Whisler, which is the most westerly of the Garfield 
chain. Northward of the Conger and Garfield ranges 
are a confused mass of hog-back mountains, all 
entirely snow-clad, which I include in the designa¬ 
tion of United States Mountains. The valley north¬ 
ward of Mount Whisler extends to the eastward 
about half-way to the Henrietta Nesmith Glacier, and 
from that point to the eastward the rest of the Gar¬ 
field Range is crowded closely against the United 
States Mountains, evidently being the only obstacle 
which prevents the glacial ice-cap from overflowing 
the country to the southward. The overlapping, 
rounded tops of ice-clad mountains can be distin¬ 
guished for at least twenty miles to the northeast¬ 
ward beyond Henrietta Nesmith Glacier, which must 
be nearly forty miles distant itself. 

“ To the westward the valley between the Conger 
and United States mountains opens out or widens in 
that direction. The mountains themselves, after ex¬ 
tending a great distance, trend gradually to the north¬ 
westward, probably terminating in the Challenger 
Range of Aldrich. 

“ With the following exceptions, there is visible as 
far as the eye can reach, say fifty miles, only low, 
rounded hills intersected with numerous ravines, 
which, outside of a radius of ten to fifteen miles from 
Mount Arthur, are generally bare of snow. By low 
hills are meant those from fifteen hundred to twenty- 
five hundred feet high. Did not the countr}^ in all 
directions, resemble to the eye that which I had just 
travelled over from Lake Hazen, I might think it a 
plateau country, as was supposed by Lieut. Archer. 
The most important exception is from the west-south¬ 
west to southwest, where a depression in the hills dis¬ 
closes a range of partly snow-clad mountains, distant 
not less than, and perhaps much over, seventy-five 
miles I cannot but think this depression drains the 
western country into a channel or strait between the 
near hills and the distant mountains, and that the 
range is situated on a separate land.” 


155 


LIEUT. CREEL Y AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION—18S1-1884. 


The north and south ends of the range were cut off 
from view by the hills, but it cannot in any way be 
joined to the Conger Range. Again, due southward 
was seen, about forty miles distant, a prominent 
mountain rising sharply on its eastern point and 
showing a flat top, which extended westward and 
gradually (perhaps from perspective) merged into the 
low hill. 

In the southeast there was a prominent peak, with 
a few illy-defined snow-clad mountains, evidently the 
western slope of the Victoria and Albert Range. 

After hoisting the flag at the summit of Mount 
Arthur, the party descended into the valley of the 
Very River,where the vegetation was luxuriant, and ar¬ 
rived at Fort Conger with nothing more than the usual 
difficulties. The ice had now broken up, a walrus 
was seen on July 22d, and a strong gale left open 
water to the south. Boats were launched, and one 
of them proceeded to Cape Lieber in the hope of 
seeing the relief-steamer. But no trace of her could 
be seen, and on August 25th, all hope of her arrival 
was given up. The non-arrival of the expected 
steamer cast a gloom on the party, and it was with 
depressed spirits that they began the second winter. 
Still greater discouragement was caused by the report 
of the surgeon. Dr. Pavy, respecting the prospects of 
health during the coming year, and by his imprudent 
talk to the men. Hence it was with dissatisfaction,' 
if not with disaffection, that Greely had to contend. 
All the recommendations of the medical officer were 
carried out, the quarters were warmer, dryer, and 
more comfortable than before, and the health of all 
was better. The spring of 1883 brought a sense of 
relief, and all looked forward to a brief period of 
spring sledging, to be followed by the relieving vessel, 
or a retreat southward in the boats. In March Lock- 
wood again made some trips to the northward, but in 
April was dispatched to cross Grinnell Land by the 
way of Archer Fiord, and on the 23d, he started with 
two sledges and rations for thirty days. At Depot 
Point he sent back one of the sledges, and finally 
reached the head of Ella Bay, where he went into 
camp. The cliffs about this spot were grand, at 
least three thousand feet high. Following a little 
stream in one of these Arctic canons he arrived at 
Lake Katherine, and the view up the valley was closed 
by a glacier two hundred feet high and a mite across. 
This glacier wall was at the top of a charming green 
color, then came a white surface, and at the foot was 
an undulating bank of snow. On May 2d he retraced 
his steps to Ella Bay, and thence took a straight 
course to Beatrix Bay. The main valley route was 


chosen, but it, too, closed with a high cliff. Lockwood 
ascended one of the highest points, and thence de¬ 
scended into Markox valley, the apparent end of 
which was reached the following day. Crossing the 
water-shed of Grinnell Land he descended to salt 
water at the head of Greely Fiord where the last 
glacier discharged. This fiord is between sixty and 
eighty miles long and from ten to fifteen wide, the 
whole shore bounded by steep, high cliffs. On May 
16th, the party started homeward, and three marches 
brought them back to Beatrix Bay, whence Fort Con¬ 
ger was reached May 26th. 

Lockwood writes in his journal: “ No such word as 
‘ failed ’ to write this time, I am thankful to say, 
but the happy reflection is mine that I accom¬ 
plished more than anyone expected and more 
than I myself dared hope—the discovery of the west¬ 
ern sea, and hence the western coast-line of Grinnell 
Land. I have now the rather ponderous task of pre¬ 
paring a report, making a map, and writing out this 
journal from my notes. Tidal observations have been 
taken at Capes Baird, Distant, and Beechy, simultan¬ 
eously, showing that the tides arrive at these places 
in the order named. This is very singular, as the 
previous expeditions into these parts established (?) 
the tides as coming from the north. This agrees, 
however, with the order of their arrival at Cape Sum¬ 
ner, Gap Valley, and Black Horn Cliffs, where I took 
observations in April. No more musk-ox meat left; 
it ran out on the 20th inst., aud hunting-parties sent 
out April 25th saw nothing. I surmised as much, 
from the absence of game on my trip, though Brain- 
ard did not agree with me. Two seals have been 
shot, but only one secured.” 

The next entry reveals a lamentable state of 
affairs: 

“ I find the social relations of our room not im¬ 
proved—rather worse than better. Dr. Pavy, though 
he shook hands and asked me several questions as to 
my trip, relapsed into silence, which he seldom breaks. 
Lieutenant K. had but question to ask. I often con¬ 
trast ours with the pleasant relations of the English 
officers when here, and think how much happier we 
should be in following their example. As it is, I soon 
relapse into ennui and apathy. A sledge-journey, 
with all its trials, is preferable to this. I view those 
ahead of us with indifference, as it will rid me of this 
forced association; another winter would render me 
a maniac or put me under a cairn.” Other entries 
give indications of growing disorganization among 
the explorers. “What a change,” he writes on the 3d 
of June, “ if we ever return home ! And how much 


156 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


to talk about, and how much to hear ! Just two years 
ago, I left Baltimore on the Nova Scotia, to join the 
Proteus at St. John’s. Open water is reported 
in the straits near Cape Baird. How eagerly we 
watch for any change that may effect our re¬ 
lease ! ” 

On the 22d of June, a party was sent up the Bel¬ 
lows for game and returned successful, having killed 
eight musk oxen, one seal, and a few geese, all of 
which were duly brought in. Many waterfowl and 
ptarmigans were brought from other points; and 
then followed a grand dinner in honor of Dr. Pavy’s 
birthday. To show the social relations of the officers, 
Lockwood says, “ The only remark at dinner was a 
very sage one by myself, viz., that the sun was now 
on his way south, to which Lieutenant Greely 
assented. 

“ The men all busy and cheerful. Lieutenant 
Greely remarked that it did not look as if the ‘ gloom 
which their coming fate cast over the spirits of the 
men ’ was quite as deep as Lieutenant Kislingbury 
thought it to be.” “ Another day gone,” wrote Lock- 
wood, “ another day nearer the end of our stay here ! 
A miserable, gloomy day it is, too. Snow, or snow 
mixed with rain, all day, and last night it blew a gale 
from the right direction to clear away the ice—north¬ 
east. I think myself now in excellent condition for a 
hermit’s life, having had two years’ experience of a 
life not very dissimilar.” 

Dr. Pavy indeed seemed to be especially dissatisfied, 
and refused to renew his engagement which had 
expired, and all the medical stores, journals, and col¬ 
lections were turned over to Lockwood. It was then 
found that Pavy had paid no proper attention to this 
work; the specimens had not been preserved nor due 
note made concerning them. On July 20 Pavy re¬ 
fused to obey orders and had to be placed in arrest, 
and, though every consideration was shown, he broke 
his parole. 

Meanwhile, all preparations for the retreat were 
made, and orders were issued that the station would 
be abandoned on August 8, if no ship appeared. The 
5th of August arrived, and the ship was the only 
thing talked about. Some of the men reported smoke 
down the straits, but it was soon found to be only 
water-clouds or fog. In the midst of these excite¬ 
ments, Lockwood gave expression to the following 
feelings : “ As the time for moving approaches, I feel 
a singular apathy. If we had plenty of fresh meat 
and more good books, I could stand another winter 
here.” 

Soon after, heavy winds from the south making 


great changes in the condition of the ice, active 
preparations were made for leaving. 

Lockwood writes: ” I don’t feel as though I was 
going away, much less toward the south. Have felt 
more stirred up on beginning a sledge-journey.” 

On August 9th, Greely enters in his journal: ” At 
10 A. M. I ordered the formal abandonment of the 
station at i P. M., hoping to leave by 2 p, M., when an 
ebbing tide will favor our passage.” The stores they 
could not carry, such as coal, their collections and 
most of their food were placed in house and protected 
from the weather. The hope of the party was to 
reach Littleton Island, where they hoped to find a 
vessel that would take them back to Newfoundland. 
They reached Cape Lieber on the nth, and thence, 
amid fogs, snowstorms, and floating ice, they strug¬ 
gled on to Rawling’s Bay. Near Scoresby Bay the 
pack-ice checked their progress, and pressed tjie 
boat against the ice-foot. “ The season is late,” Greely 
writes, “our coal nearly gone, and food entirely uncer¬ 
tain.” On the 26th they passed Cape Louis Napol¬ 
eon, and next day reached Cape Hawks, where the 
English depot was situated. Unfortunately these 
provisions were almost all uneatable, and in less 
desperate circumstances would have been rejected. 
On September 3d a breach of discipline on the part 
of Lieutenant Kislingbury induced Greely to consult 
with his officers. Pavy and Kislingbury suggested 
that the launch should be abandoned; but to this the 
majority disagreed. Another meeting was held Sep¬ 
tember 9th, when Greely notified them that he would 
start next morning, by sledge, for Cocked Hat Island, 
and thence press on to Cape Sabine. The party had 
now been beset for fifteen days, the young ice was 
steadily forming, and it was, to quote Greely’s words, 
“ time for abandoning the policy of patient waiting, 
for that of energetic action.” On the nth another 
council was held, but no decision was arrived at, ex¬ 
cept to abandon the whale-boat. The labor was of 
the most arduous character, and all worked with the 
energy of despair. On the 14th Dr. Pavy again ex¬ 
hibited mutinous conduct, which had to be over¬ 
looked; on the 19th Greely writes: “A wretched, 
wretched day !” with more wrangling with the doctor 
and Lieutenant Kislingbury, but still, after fifty-one 
days of exhaustive toil, the whole party continued 
their route towards Cape Sabine, where the land is 
fairly stocked with game. On October 6th arrange¬ 
ments were made for building, out of stones and ice, 
the necessary huts for protection during the coming 
winter, should it be their fate to remain there. While 
this work was progressing, it was decided that the 


LIEUT. CREEL V AND THE FRANKLIN BA V EXPEDITION—1881-1884. 


15/ 


daily rations would have to be reduced. Lockwood 
expressed the opinion that they had only three 
chances for their lives: first, the chance of finding an 
American cache at Cape Sabine ; secondly, a chance 
of crossing the straits, here thirty-five miles wide, 
when their provisions were gone ; thirdly, the chance 
of being able to kill enough game for their support 
during the winter. A second effort was made by 
Rice and a party to reach Cape Sabine,which was 
successful. They returned with the news of the loss 
of the Proteus, on July 24th; and that Lieutenant 


ber would supply but one poor light; cold, dampness 
darkness, and hunger were the portion of all, everj 
day and all day. Hunger, perhaps, affected all of 
them most severely. Lockwood writes : “ Occupied, 
like a dog, in scraping the place where the mouldy 
biscuits were emptied. Found a few crumbs, ate mould 
and all.” On the 31st October Lockwood writes; 
“ God, what a life! A few crumbs of hard bread 
taste delicious. I spend much of my time thinking of 
bills of fare.” An expedition was sent to Cape Isa¬ 
bella to bring in one hundred and forty pounds of 





DESERTION OF THE BOATS AT LADY FRANKLIN BAY. 


Garlington had gone south in hopes of meeting the 
Yantic or some steamer. The record left by this 
relief party decided Greely to proceed to Cape Sabine 
and await the promised help. On October i8th, 
however, they began work on their winter quarters on 
Bedford Pym Island, and a party was sent to the cape 
to bring up as much clothing as was possible from the 
depot left there. On the 26th the sun once more sank 
below the horizon, and the Arctic night of one hun¬ 
dred and ten long days began. Rations were again 
reduced to one-third of what was necessary, the blub- 


meat left by English explorers, but nearly ended in 
the death of the party who were rescued by Lock- 
wood, after what Greely calls “ the most remarkable 
journey in the annals of Arctic sledging.” From the 
1st of November onward the record is one of horror 
and misery. Half of the party were unfit for duty; 
thefts were detected, one of them committed by Dr. 
Pavy; accusations of unfairness in dividing the ra¬ 
tions were made, yet when Christmas Day came round 
they celebrated with songs and good wishes. But 
with the New Year more thieving began. Lockwood 
















158 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


seemed out of his head, Cross showed symptoms of 
scurvy, and died January i8th; Bender and Henry 
were insubordinate. Yet, during all this time of 
agony, Greely and others endeavored to beguile the 
dreary time by talks on the history of their country, 
their adventures abroad, or even by dulling their lis¬ 
teners with tables of chronology, or lectures on physi¬ 
ology. On February ist. Rice was sent to cross 
Smith Sound to Littleton Island, where they hoped 
the rescuing party was, but they returned unsuccess¬ 
ful on the 6th. Again we read of violent scenes be¬ 
tween Pavy and Kislingbury, and Pavy and Bender 
and Schneider, of misunderstandings between Greely 
and Lockwood, in fact, of growing demoralization. 
In March, Greely writes: “ The fates seem against 
us—an open channel, no game, no food, no hopes from 
Littleton Island. To die is easy; it is only hard to 
strive, to endure, to live.” On March 21st he exhorts 
his comrades to die like men; and on the 24th another 
theft was detected. The guilty man was Henry; and, 
although the majority of his comrades deemed him 
guilty, Greely spared him. On the 26th a ray of sun¬ 
light disclosed such a scene of utter squalor and mis¬ 
ery that Greely exclaimed, “ How have we ever passed 
through this hell on earth and kept our reason ? ” In 
April the end was evidently approaching. On the 5th 
one of the Esquimaux died ; on the 6th Lyon died ; on 
the 7th Rice died ; and on the 9th Lieutenant Lock- 
wood psssed away. On the 14th Kislingbury exhib¬ 
ited signs of mental derangement; Greely himself was 
ill. In May a mutiny seemed imminent, and on May 
22d, it is recorded, “ It is now eight days since the 
last regular food was issued,” All discipline was now 
at an end. Kislingbury died in the early days of 
June, and on the 6th inst. Private C. B. Henry was 
executed for continued thefts. On the same day Dr. 
Pavy died, then Gardiner died ; and the last entry in 
Greely’s diary is: “21st—It commenced snowing. 
Connell’s legs paralyzed from knee down. Breder- 
dick suffering terribly from rheumatism. Buchanan 
Strait open this noon a long way up the coast.” 

On the 22d. they were all exhausted, but about 
midnight the sound of a steam-whistle was heard. 
The whistle was blown by the Thetis, a vessel sent 
out to search for the long-lost party. 

According to the original plan drawn up when the 
Greely expedition set out on the Proteus in 1881, a 
ship, the Neptune, was dispatched in the following 
year, but was unable to reach Fort Conger, and re¬ 
turned without leaving any stores for the Greely party. 
In 1883 the Proteus and the Vantic both failed to leave 
provisions although they reached a point beyond that 


where Greely’s men were left to perish. The terrible 
position in which this failure left the isolated band 
appalled all thinking men, and in the spring of 1884, 
a safe fleet of vessels was sent out. The Government 
bought two Scotch whalers, the Bear and the Thetis, 
and the Queen refitted and tendered as a gift to the 
United States, the Alert, the old flag-ship of Captain 
Nares in 1874, and the strongest wooden ship afloat. 
The command of this rescuing fleet was given to 
Commander Schley, and Melville, of the Jeannette’s 
crew, under the hapless De Long, accompanied the 
expedition as engineer of the Thetis. This ship sailed 
from New York on May ist, and proceeded with all 
speed to the Northern seas. It was a race between 
the Government ships and the whalers, for Congress 
had offered a prize of $25,000 to any vessel that suc¬ 
ceeded in rescuing the explorers. The Thetis beat 
the others in the race and arrived at Cape York on 
June the i8th. At Breevort Island a landing party 
discovered some records left by the Greely party 
dated September 22, 1883, stating that they had gone 
into camp near Cape Sabine, “Twenty-five men, all 
well.” A party was at once dispatched to the spot 
indicated, and by this time the screeching of the 
steam-whistles had roused the unfortunates, and 
Brainard, Frederik, and Long, the strongest among 
them, tottered down to the rocky promontory to look 
for relief. But they saw. nothing anJ returned filled 
with despair, but Long returned to the rock to take 
another look and his eyes were gladdened by the sight 
of the steam cutter. He tried to raise a signal of 
distress but was too weak, but the men on the cutter 
had seen him, and ran inshore, while Long rolled and 
scrambled towards them, clamoring for food. He 
told them his comrades were over the hill, and that 
only seven survived, among them Greely. The ice- 
pilot Norman leaped ashore and rushed up the hill to 
the tent. 

“ Greely are you there ? How do you get in ? ” 

“ Is that you, Mr, Norman } ” replied Greely. 

“ Yes it is, you are all right now, succor has come.” 

The scene that presented itself was indescribable. 
A cold, barren plateau, a black rock where even mosses 
could not grow, drifts of snow in the ravines, and a 
raging wind and pitiless sea, not a living thing in 
sight except the skeleton-like survivors. We quote 
Melville’s description: 

“Struggling up the valley of death against the 
frantic wind, from the low point to the westward of 
the camp, where we managed with difficulty to effect 
a landing in our whale-boats, we first came upon 
the remains of the winter habitation, a parallelogram 


159 


LIEUT. GREET Y AND THE FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION—1881-1884. 


of four walls about three feet high built of loose stone, 
the inside dimensions being 18 x 22 feet, with a tunnel 
or covered way facing the mountain to the south¬ 
ward. The hut had been roofed over with the whale¬ 
boats turned upside down and covered with the sails 
and tent-cloths; the smoke-flue, made 
of old tin kettles bound with bits of 
canvas, was thrown to one side; and 
water had risen in and about the 
wretched dwelling-place to a height of 
eight inches, concealing much of the 
foul evidences of squalid misery in 
which its poor occupants had lived. 

Cast-off fur and cloth clothing, empty 
tin cans, and the sickening filth of 
twenty-five men for nine months, lay 
heaped and scattered about—a veri¬ 
table Augean scene. Continuing up 
the valley toward a little rise of ground, 
we passed the dead body of a man laid 
out on a projecting plane of rock. A 
woolen cap was pulled down over his 
face, his hands were crossed on his 
breast, and his clothing and blankets 
were fastened around him with old 
straps and shreds of rope or yarns. 

Further up the hill lay the summer 
camp or tent, black with smoke and 
partly blown down, the flaps flying in 
the wind, which was blowing loose 
papers, leaves of books, and old cloth¬ 
ing hither and thither; and on their 
backs within this half-open inclosure 
lay the poor creatures whom we had 
come to rescue now more dead than 
aliv’e. 

“ Greely, in his sleeping-bag, and 
resting on his hands and knees, was 
peering out through the open doorway; 
his hair and beard black, long and 
matted, his hands and face begrimed 
with the soot of months, and his eyes 
glittering with an intense excitement. 

For what terrible days of agony had 
been swept into oblivion by this 
supreme moment of joy. Succor had 
come at last! And yet he scarcely 
seemed to realize it. Mr. Norman told him who I was 
and he said he was glad to see one of the people of the 
Jeannette, for he had learned a great deal of the his¬ 
tory of our expedition from scraps of newspapers that 
had been wrapped around some lemons left by the 


Garlington party. Alongside of him lay a man on 
his back. Sergeant Ellison, to whom he introduced 
me, and who said he would like to shake hands with 
me, but his hands and feet were both frozen off. I 
looked down and saw that his nose was likewise 


gone. Yet he seemed cheerful and bright, and coolly 
discussed his sorrowful plight, thrusting one of his 
arm stumps, which I shook in lieu of a hand. 
Higher up and beyond the tent was the burial-ground, 
where ten bodies lay in a row, some barely covered 
















i6o 


GJ?£A T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


with loose earth and stones. The first grave, or one 
nearest the northern crest of the hill, had been very 
carefully made, for it was that of Sergeant Cross, the 
first man to die, and the survivors were then still strong 
enough to endure exertion. To the southward, or 
toward the face of the mountain, the graves became 
more and more shallow, just as the strength of the 
party was waning. All the faces were covered with 
woolen hoods and cloths or handkerchiefs; and 
each body was stretched out on its back with the 
hands crossed on the breast and the clothing bound 
round. Only one corpse was found unburied, that of 
Private Henry; but the six that had been interred in 
the ice-foot, were, of course, beyond recovery. 

“ In the camp all was bustle and confusion. One 
man, Connell, was to all appearance lifeless, his face 
was fixed in death; he was cold from the hips down; 
and he scarcely breathed. Three days before he had 
eaten his last ration of seal-skin, and, abandoning all 
hope, had calmly determined to die. Doctors Green 
and Ames had their hands full of work. Water- 
kettles were heated, and the clothes being stripped 
from the half-dead Connell, he was wrapped in a 
blanket dipped in hot water. A little brandy was then 
poured down his throat, but it ran out at the side of 
his mouth until, catching his breath, he drew in suffi¬ 
cient to choke him and blew out the rest. Yet the 
few drops he retained sufficed to revive him, and roll¬ 
ing his head to one side he said wearily, “ Let me die 
in peace.” Not realizing that succor had arrived, he 
thought his comrades were still laboring with him. 
However, he survived and still lives. He was a viva¬ 
cious sort of man, and when on board the Thetis a 
few days remarked, “ Well, boys, it was a pretty close 
squeeze for me. Death had me by the heels, and you 
pulled me out by the back of the neck.” 

Stretchers were brought from the ship, and the 
survivors carried to the steam-cutter and then trans¬ 
ferred to the Thetis, all save Frederik and Long, 
who, as hunters for the party, had been allowed 
additional rations from the game procured, to main¬ 
tain their strength for the extra exertion demanded of 
them. The camp was devoid of all food except a few 
pounds of boiled seal-skin strips, contained in tin 
cans. The final division of this food had been made 
some days before, and each man had charge of his 
own meagre supply. Considerable wood, including 
about four feet of the bows of the light boat still re¬ 
mained as fuel; and the bodies of two ducks just 
killed, and one as yet untouched, were found at the 
old winter hut. 


The faces of two of the men were so swollen that 
they could scarcely see, and the rheum and slime had 
gathered in their eyes and half-blinded them. They 
were too weak to help themselves, and dipping an old 
woolen sack in warm water, I cleansed the eyes of 
one who lay upon his back gazing dimly in the direc¬ 
tion where our mastheads could be seen across the 
rocks. 

Commander Schley stood by and said ; 

“ My man, don’t you see the ship’s masts } Don’t 
you see the flags }" for we had mastheaded our 
colors. 

“ Please lift me up a little,” he urged, huskily, “ that 
I may see.” Then, catching sight of the colors, he 
cried, “ Hooray ! There is the old flag again ; now, 
boys, we’ll get some mush.” And he did his best to 
raise a feeble cheer, while tears of joy ran down his 
cheeks as we supported him in his sleeping-bag. 

When I shook poor Ellison by the stump, he said: 

“ So you are one of the officers from the 'Jeannette, 
and poor De Long is dead. You must have had a 
terrible time.” 

Here was sympathy sure enough, A man with 
nose, feet, and hands frozen off, who for months had 
been helplessly stretched upon his back, enduring 
every agony and horror but death itself, could never¬ 
theless find room in his bleeding heart to pity the 
past sufferings of others, A noble nature, indeed. 
He it was who sacrificed himself on the expedition to 
Cape Isabella for the English beef, when Sergeant 
Rice perished. 

It was after midnight of June 22d before we fin¬ 
ished our sad duty of removing all the dead and 
living, together with the books and papers and cer¬ 
tain relics, from Camp Clay to our two vessels ; and 
we then sought shelter from the gale under the lee of 
Brevoort Island. The next morning saw both ships 
moored together at Payer Harbor; but when the 
fury of the wind had abated. Captain Schley sent 
back in the Bear a party of officers and men selected 
from both companies to go over the ground more 
carefully at Camp Clay, and gather up all overlooked 
articles that might be of value either as memen¬ 
toes or a part of the history of the expedi¬ 
tion.” 

The bodies of the dead were transferred to the 
Thetis, and a piece of numbered canvas sewn on 
each. She then proceeded on her voyage home¬ 
ward, and reached Portsmouth, N. H., July 26th, 
where the cruise of the rescue ships virtually 
ended. 


NANSEN—1884: AND PEARY—i8gr. 


161 


CHAPTER XVI. 


NANSEN—1884; AND PEARY—1891. 



The failure of so many expeditions which have 
sought to effect a northwest or northeast passage 
from ocean to ocean within the Arctic Circle has 
suggested more earnest and perhaps more practi¬ 
cal methods. Instead of pushing up ice-blocked 
straits and forcing their way through ever-moving 
floes, late explorers have turned their attention to the 
immense continent of Greenland, and resolved to 
explore it thoroughly with a view to making it a base 
of operations for the Pole. Dr. Nansen in 1882 was 
on board a Norwegian sealer which was caught in 
the ice off the east coast of Greenland, and he 
became impressed with the idea that it would be 
practicable to reach over tEe floes a coast deemed 
impenetrable. He at once perceived that the “ ski ” 
or snowshoe would enable a small party of explorers 
landing on the floes of the east coast to go across the 
snowfields and reach the Danish settlements. The 
plan was proposed in scientific journals, and finally 
carried out with financial aid from Augustin Gamel, 
the patron of the expedition. Dr. Nansen had five 


companions in his march across 
the floes—three Norwegians and 
two Lapps—all having been accus¬ 
tomed from youth to the use of the 
snowshoe. The leader himself 
had been from childhood an ex¬ 
pert “ skilober ” (snowshoe-run- 
ner), and he based his prospects 
of success in crossing Greenland 
almost entirely upon the superiority 
of this means of locomotion when 
large tracts of snow had to be 
traversed. These snowshoes are 
strips of wood, eight feet long and 
an inch thick under the foot, bevel¬ 
ling off to a quarter of an inch at 
each end. In front these sticks are 
curved upward, and pointed, and 
sometimes at the back end also. 
The attachment consists of a 
loop made of leather for the toe, 
and a band passing round behind 
the heel. Shoe and foot are made as rigid as possi¬ 
ble for steering purposes, while the heel is allowed to 
rise freely at all times. On flat ground the ski are 
driven forward by a peculiar stride, there being no 
resemblance to the motion employed in skating. 
With the sftow in good condition eight or nine miles 
can be made within the hour, while an average of 
seven miles an hour can be maintained for long 
periods. On the slope of almost any gradient these 
snow-sticks can be employed most effectively, an 
ascent being made either by feather-stitching or tack¬ 
ing, and the safety of the descent being dependent 
upon the facility of keeping the balance. 

The equipment of this Arctic expedition was simple 
but scientific. The explorer originally intended to 
take either dogs or reindeer to drag the baggage on 
the land march, but he found it to be impracticable 
to get the animals, and was compelled to depend 
upon men alone. Care was taken to have everything 
which was to be carried as light as possible and to 
reduce food, implements and clothing to a minimum 














t62 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


of weight. The sledges were similar to that used by 
the rescue party in the Greely expedition, being made 
of picked ash and provided with broad runners turned 
up at each end and with a bow at the back which 
could be used for pushing and steering. There were 
five sledges, one for each man, the first one on the 
march being usually drawn by two men. In order to 
convert the sledges into sailing craft it was only 
necessary to lash them side by side and to raise bam¬ 
boo staffs for masts, with the floor of the tent and 
two tarpaulins for sails. The “ ski ” or snow-sticks 
were supplemented by Indian snowshoes and Nor¬ 
wegian “ trugers.” Only one boat was taken—about 
nineteen feet long, with runners of pine added to the 
keel to support it while it was being hauled over the 
ice. There were two sleeping-bags of reindeer and 
doe-skin—each holding three men. The clothing to 
be worn was selected with painstaking care. The 
tent weighed eighteen pounds. The alcohol “cooker ” 
was patterned after one used by Greely. The provi¬ 
sions consisted largely of dried articles of food. A 
daily ration for a man weighed about two pounds 
and a quarter, comprising dried meat, fatty food, 
bread or biscuit, pea soup, peptonized meat, choco¬ 
late and sugar. To these supplies were added two 
double-barrelled guns with ammunition, scientific 
instruments, a camera, and a small stock of tools. 
Four of the sledges when fully loaded averaged 200 
pounds, while the fifth was nearly double as much. 

The east coast of Greenland was reached by means 
of a Norwegian sealer, on which the party of six em¬ 
barked in Iceland on June 4, 1888. The condition of 
the ice did not admit of an attempt to approach 
Greenland until July 17. Then the sealer w'as left 
behind and the six explorers set out for the shore, 
with their baggage, in two boats—one their own and 
the other borrowed from the ship. The first attempt 
to reach land by open lanes through the floes was 
not successful, and for many days the explorers, with 
their sledges, boats, and tent, were compelled to drift 
with the ice, passing from the 66th to the 62d parallel. 
On July 29, the floe carried them to the inner edge of 
the ice-belt and enabled them to reach the shore by 
a long stretch of smooth water. Thence they headed 
northward for the 64th parallel, where they were to 
begin their land journey at a point directly opposite 
the Danish settlement of Godthaab. On their way 
up the coast they came suddenly upon two East 
Greenlanders—little men dressed in sealskins, with 
no covering for the head except a few strings of 
beads. A day or two afterward they received an 
Esquimaux welcome at a large encampment of these 


strange people. A most interesting account of the 
habits and traits of these Pagan Esquimaux is given 
by the author in a chapter which is an important con¬ 
tribution to the science of sociology\ Various settle¬ 
ments were passed on the journey northward to the 
last station on the east coast. Then preparations 
were deliberately made for the land expedition. The 
start for the west coast was made on August 15th, 
after the boats had been hauled on shore and aban¬ 
doned. The destination was reached early in Octo¬ 
ber. The crossing of the inland ice, is described in 
Dr. Nansen’s narrative in detail, but is necessarily a 
monotonous recital. In the crossing of that icy 
desert there could be few incidents. One day was 
like another—the same unbroken level of snow, shut 
in by the gray horizon line opening morning and 
evening before the jaded eyes of the traveller. The 
perilous stages of the journey were the ascent and 
descent of the ice-cap from each coast, but with a 
perfect equipment and with the remarkable adapta¬ 
bility of the “ ski ’’ for ice travel, the work of the 
expedition was accomplished with facility and dis¬ 
patch. 

Within the last few weeks another expedition for 
Greenland has left our shores under the command of 
Lieutenant Peary, of the U. S. Navy. 

They are likely to reach Whale Sound rather earlier 
than most of the expeditions to those waters. No 
obstacles have ever been encountered to prevent a 
well-equipped vessel from reaching Whale Sound, 
and with fair fortune the party will probably arrive at 
the site of their winter quarters about the 15th to the 
20th of July. The Greely party reached Littleton 
Island, further north, on August 2d, only twenty-six 
days from St. Johns. Baffin, who was the first ex¬ 
plorer in this region, arrived at Smith Sound earlier 
in the season than any of his successors except the 
rescuers of the Greely expedition. 

As an American is about to introduce a new idea 
in North Greenland exploration, it was, perhaps, par¬ 
ticularly appropriate that Whale Sound, which is to 
be his base of operations, was discovered by Baffin 
on July 4th during his memorable voyage of 1616. 
Passing through this Sound, whose name was sug¬ 
gested to Baffin by the many whales he saw there, 
Lieutenant Peary will probably erect the house in 
which he will spend the coming winter at the deep 
indentation on the northern shore, near the entrance 
to Inglefield Gulf. This shore, as shown on Hayes’s 
chart, is bordered by mountains, and if Peary is able 
to realize his hopes he will climb one of these giant 
hills, carrying his sledges and loads on the backs of 


NANSEN—1SS4; AND PEARY—1891. 


163 


the party, and step from near its top to the surface of 
the great ice plateau which is to be his highway to 
the far north. 

Almost within sight of Whale Sound are the waters 
where the Proteus was crushed in the pack, and 
where Kane and Hayes battled inch by inch with the 
ice to gain some vantage ground for an advance to 
new discoveries. Peary will at least be spared this 
dangerous and trying phase of Arctic effort. The 
level ice plain, not the treacherous ice-packed sea, 
is to be his highway. It matters not how deep the 
snow, for he is an experienced snow traveller, and 
snowshoes are of the first importance in his enter¬ 
prise. “ I regard this deep, soft snow, which stopped 
NordenskiOld,” he writes, “ not as a bete noir, but as 
the perfection of roads.” 

In the little cabin which will shelter his party 
next winter, about one hundred and twenty days of 
darkness or twilight will be spent. Their friends at 
home may think of them then with considerable con¬ 
fidence as passing the long winter night under fairly 
comfortable conditions. Everything which past 
Arctic experience suggests as contributing to comfort 
and safety, has been included in the equipment. The 
party will have plenty of fresh meat, for game abounds 
along that coast, and the hunters will lay in a supply 
in the fall. Only a little way further north Hayes’s 
sportsmen in October shot seventy-four reindeer, 
twenty-one foxes, twelve hares, and a seal, besides a 
large number of geese and other aquatic birds. 
Lieutenant Peary has a most encouraging prospect 
for an abundant commissariat, and the chances are 
the long Arctic night will not be a cheerless and un¬ 
happy period. With plenty of food, clothing, and 
I books, and abundant opportunities for exercise in a 
particularly bracing atmosphere, it will be surprising 
if these young and vigorous people do not hail the 
' rising sun next spring in abundant health and spirits, 
‘ and eager to enter upon the arduous work before 
j them. That was the experience of the Hayes party, 
who passed the winter at Port Foulke under some¬ 
what similar conditions. 

The party will not be wholly cut off from their 
kind. Their winter house will be midway on that 
part of the coast which is inhabited by the Arctic 
highlanders. We shall be glad to hear again of these 
simple, harmless people, who have shown many a 
kindness to explorers. It is not unlikely that Kane’s 
party would have perished during their two winters 
in Smith Sound if they had not now and then ob- 
' tained bear meat, seal, and walrus from the good- 
' natured natives seventy miles south of their ice-im¬ 


prisoned brig. There is reason to believe that Lieu¬ 
tenant Peary will have opportunities to collect more 
accurate and exhaustive information about these 
Smith Sound Esquimaux than our present Arctic 
literature contains. 

The main purpose of Lieutenant Peary’s enterprise 
has already been well discussed. While it is useless 
to speculate upon the chances of his being able to 
reach and map the extreme north coast of Greenland, 
using the inland ice as a highway, it may be said that 
the idea he originated has commended itself to men 
whose opinions are entitled to respect. The enthusi¬ 
astic explorer himself does not underrate the arduous 
nature of his task. Even if Greenland extends only 
a little way beyond Lockwood’s furthest point, Peary 
has before him a round trip journey of about 1,200 
miles. Just as Nansen travelled, now over a hard 
crust, and then through deep, soft snow, Peary is 
likely at times to find sledge hauling very hard work. 
General Greely believes that the inland ice is not 
co-terminous with the north coast of Greenland; and, 
if this theory is correct, Peary will hardly be able to 
reach the north coast by the route he proposes, for 
he and his comrades could not travel far overland 
packing their provisions on their backs. 

While Peary’s proposed attempt, like all Arctic 
enterprises, is experimental and problematical, it is 
certain that his scheme eliminates the gravest sources 
of danger and causes of defeat that have confronted 
all previous expeditions to North Greenland. Whether 
or not his enterprise is completely successful, it is 
believed he will return with additions to knowledge 
that will be welcomed by men of science and will 
repay his enthusiastic and untiring labors. His coun¬ 
trymen appreciate the high qualities that Lieutenant 
Peary brings to his great undertaking. They will 
follow his enterprise with sympathetic interest, and 
will hope that this able and modest young man may 
win the laurels as an Arctic explorer which, there is 
no doubt, his efforts will merit, whether fortune smiles 
on him or not. 

After the sledging campaign is over. Lieutenant 
Peary and his party will probably return to the South 
Greenland settlements in their boats. It is a long 
and an unpleasant journey, but has been successfully 
accomplished by all who have undertaken it, from 
Kane to Garlington. 

The immediate party with Lieutenant Peary, aside 
from himself and his wife, consists of Dr. Coak, Pro¬ 
fessor Astrop, John M. Verhoef, Matthew Henson, 
and Lieutenant Peary’s colored valet. 

May they return in safety and with success! 



GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


164 


ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. 



The illustrious Cook, whose name is inseparably 
connected with our knowledge of the Pacific and 
Southern Oceans, and of Australia and New Zealand, 
was the first explorer sent out to the Antarctic Circle. 
On July 13, 1772, he sailed from Plymouth with two 
ships the Adventure and the Resolution, on a three 
years’ cruise, charged to discover how far the lands 
of the Antarctic stretched to the south. His furthest 
South point was 71® 10', Longitude 110'’54'W., where 
he w’as stopped by impenetrable masses of ice, and 
he was led to the conclusion that lands beyond this 
point would forever remain unknown. 

We may pass by as of little importance Smith’s 
discovery or re-discovery of the South Shetland Isl¬ 
ands, and of the Russian expedition which reached 


Alexander Island in 69° 3' South Latitude, to briefly | 
mention the voyage of Captain Weddell, in 1822, who A 
reached 74° 15' S. Lat. In 1831 Biscoe discovered 
Enderly Land, and, in 1839, Ballevy reached Sabrina 
Island in 69° S. Lat. ^ 

The reports of these hardy navigators stimulated ^ 
the natural curiosity of the world as to the condition ^ 
of the vast expanse of sea that surrounds the South¬ 
ern Pole, and three expeditions were planned for a . - 
systematic exploration of this unknown ocean. ^ 

The most important of these voyages are those ,' 
made by the United States Exploring Expedition 
under Commodore Wilkes, and of the English expedi- 
tion under Sir James Ross. These we shall now pro- y 
ceed to describe. 'V 







CAPTAIN WILKES—1840. 


165 


CHAPTER XVII. 


CAPTAIN WILKES—1840. 


An act of the United States Congress, in 1836, au¬ 
thorized an expedition to be fitted out to explore and 
survey the great Southern Ocean, and in 1838 instruc¬ 
tions were issued by the Navy Department to Com¬ 
mander Wilkes, and the Vincennes, of 780 tons; the 
Peacock, of 650 tons ; the Porpoise, of 32 tons; and 
two tenders —\\\& Seagull, (A no tons, and the 
ing Fish, of 96 tons—were placed under his orders. 
The instructions given to Captain Wilkes directed 
him to proceed to Terra del Fuego, and thence as far 
as Cook’s Furthest, returning to the Pacific and the 
northwest coast of America. Thence they were 
ordered to proceed to Japan, and so homeward. 

Towards the end of 1839, Wilkes was at Sydney, 
New South Wales, and on December 26th, the height 
of the Antarctic summer, the ships weighed anchor 
and stood out to sea,\and until December 31st, had 
fine weather and favorable winds. 

The first of January, 1840, was one of those days 
which are termed, both at sea and on shore, a 
weather-breeder; and on the morning of the 2d of 
January the fog was dense and the Peacock and 
Porpoise only were in sight. The loth they encoun¬ 
tered the first iceberg, and the temperature of the 
water fell to 32°. They passed close to it, and found 
it a mile long, and one hundred and eight feet in 
height. The second iceberg seen was thirty miles, 
and the third about fifty-five miles south of the first. 
These ice-lands were apparently much worn by the 
sea into cavities, and showed an apparent stratifica¬ 
tion, which inclined to the horizon. The weather 
now became misty, with occasionally a little snow. 
They continued to meet icebergs of different heights, 
some of which, though inclined to the horizon, had a 
plain upper surface. Commodore Wilkes writes : 

“ The fair wind from the northwest (accompanied 
with a light mist rendering objects on the horizon 
indistinct) still enabled us to pursue our course 
southerly. Icebergs became so numerous as to 
compel us occasionally to change our course. They 
continued of the same character, with caverns worn 
in their perpendicular sides, and with flat tops, but 
the latter were now on a line with the horizon. 
Towards 6 P. M. of the iith, we began to perceive 


smaller pieces of ice, some of which were not more 
than the eighth of a mile in length, floating as it were 
in small patches. As the icebergs increased in 
number, the sea became smoother, and there was no 
apparent motion. Between 8 and 9 P. M., a low point 
of ice was perceived ahead, and in a short time we 
passed within it. There was now a large bay before 
us. As the vessels moved rapidly, at 10.30 P. M. we 
had reached its extreme limits, and found our 
further progress entirely stopped by a compact bar¬ 
rier of ice, enclosing large, square icebergs. The 
barrier consisted of masses closely packed and of 
every variety of shape and size. We had now reached 
the Latitude of 64® ii' S., Longitude 164° 30' E., and 
found our variation twenty-two degrees easterly. 
One and all felt disappointed, for we had flattered 
ourselves that the way was open for further progress 
to the southward, and imbibed the impression that 
the season would be an open one. What surprised 
me most was a change in the color of the water to 
an olive-green, and some faint appearances resem¬ 
bling distant land; but as it was twilight, and I did 
not believe the thing credible, I put no faith in these 
indications, although some of the officers were confi¬ 
dent they were not occasioned by icebergs. The 
barometer at 29.200 in.; the temperature of the air 
33°, water 32®. We lay-to until four o’clock. As it 
grew light on the 12th, a fog set in so thick that we 
lost sight of the Porpoise and could not hear any 
answer to our signals. I therefore detennined to 
work along the barrier to the westward. 

“ We were all day beating in a thick fog, with the 
barrier of ice close to us, and occasionally in tacking 
brought it under our bow; at other times we were 
almost in contact with icebergs. During the whole 
day we could not see at any time further than a quar¬ 
ter of a mile, and seldom more than the ship’s length. 
The fog or rather thick mist, was forming in ice on 
our riggpng. From the novelty of our situation and 
the excitement produced by it, we did not think of the 
danger. 

“ I shall now leave the Vincennes and Porpoise 
pursuing their course to the westward with a head¬ 
wind, and bring the Peacock up to the barrier. Pre- 


i66 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


viously to parting company on the 3d of January, the 
crew of that ship had also been engaged in building 
hurricane houses. After parting company Captain 
Hudson immediately steered for the first rendezvous, 
Macquarie Island, and was more fortunate in reaching 
it than we were, although the Peacock had experi¬ 
enced the same kind of weather that we had, and 
currents setting to the eastward. 

“ On approaching the island they discovered large 
patches of kelp, and saw numerous albatrosses about 
the ship. On the loth of January they made the 
island, and observed a reef of rocks extending three- 
quarters of a mile off its south end. Passing within 
a short distance of it, they did not observe any of the 
signals of the squadron flying as they had anticipated. 
They, notwithstanding, stood in, lowered a boat, and 
despatched several officers to put up the signal, make 
experiments, and collect specimens. The boat ap¬ 
proached an indentation on the west side, too open to 
be called a bay, and found that the surf was running 
high, and beating with great violence against the 
rocks, which, together with the kelp, rendered it dan¬ 
gerous to attempt landing. 

“ They made for several other places which looked 
favorable at a distance, but on approaching them they 
were found even less accessible. The boat then 
returned to the first place to make another attempt, 
which was attended with great difficulty. The boat’s 
anchor was dropped, and she was backed in with 
great caution to the edge of the rollers ; the surf was 
very high, and rolled in with a noise like thunder, 
breaking furiously upon the rocks, so as to make the 
boat fairly tremble, and threatening every moment to 
overwhelm her; once or twice she was prevented 
from getting broadside to by hauling out towards her 
anchor.^ 

“At length, after a dozen fruitless attempts, and 
awaiting a favorable opportunity Mr, Eld and a 
quartermaster succeeded in getting ashore, but not 
without being immersed up to their breasts. It was 
found impossible to land any instruments, and the 
quartermaster was despatched to erect the necessary 
signals, while Mr. Eld proceeded to visit the penguin 
rookery not far distant. On approaching the island 
it had appeared to be covered with white spots! these 
excited conjecture ; but after landing, the exhalations 
rendered it not long doubtful that it was bird-lime. 

“ On the 16th the three vessels were in longtitude 
157° 46'E., and all within a short distance of each 
other. The water was much discolored and many 
albatrosses. Cape pigeons, and petrels were seen about 
the ships. On board the Vincennes, we sounded 


with two hundred and thirty fathoms, and found no 
bottom; the water had the appearance of an olive- 
green color, as if but forty or fifty fathoms deep. 

“On this day (i6th January), appearances believed 
at the time to be land were visible from all the three 
ships, and the comparison of the three observations 
when taken in connection with the more positive 
proofs of its existence afterwards obtained, has left no 
doubt that the appearance was not deceptive. From 
this day, therefore, we date the discovery which is 
claimed for the squadron, 

“ Onboard the Peacock it appears that Passed Mid¬ 
shipmen Eld and Reynolds both saw the land from 
the masthead, and reported it to Captain Hudson. He 
was well satisfied on examination, and a majority of 
the officers and men were also satisfied that, if land 
could exist, that was it. 

“ I mention particularly the names of these two gen¬ 
tlemen because they have stated the same fact under 
oath before the court-martial, after our return. 

“ On board the Porpoise, Lieutenant-Commander 
Ringgold states that “ he went aloft in the afternoon, 
the weather being clear and fine, the horizon good, 
and clouds lofty; that he saw over the field-ice an 
object large, dark, and rounding, resembling a moun¬ 
tain in the distance ; the icebergs were all light and 
brilliant, and in great contrast.” He goes on to say 
in his report, “ I watched for an hour to see if the sun 
in his decline, would change the color of the object. 
It remained the same, with a white cloud above simi¬ 
lar to that hovering over high land. At sunset the 
appearance remained the same. I took the bearings 
accurately, intending to examine it closely as soon as 
we got a breeze. I am thoroughly of opinion it is an 
island surrounded by immense fields of ice. The 
Peacock in sight to the southward and eastward over 
the ice; the sun set at a few minutes before ten; soon 
after a light air from the southward, with a fog-bank 
arising which quickly shut out the field-ice,” In 
Passed Midshipman Eld’s journal he asserts that he 
had been several times to the masthead during the 
day to view the barrier ; that it was not only a barrier 
of ice, but one of terra firma. Passed Midshipman 
Reynolds and himself exclaimed, with one accord, 
that it was land. Not trusting to the naked eye, they 
descended for spy-glasses, which confirmed beyond a 
doubt their first impression. The mountains could 
be distinctly seen over the field-ice and bergs stretch¬ 
ing to the southwest as far as anything could be dis¬ 
cerned. Two peaks in particular were very distinct 
(which I have named after these two officers), rising 
in a conical form; and others, the lower parts of which 


CAPTAIN WILKES— J840, 


167 


were quite as distinct, but whose summits were lost 
in light fleecy clouds. Few clouds were to be seen 
in any other direction for the weather was remark¬ 
ably clear. 

“ The sun shone brightly on ridge after ridge, whose 
sides were partially bare ; these connected the emi¬ 
nences I have just spoken of, which must be from one 
to two thousand feet high. Mr. Eld further states, 
that, on reporting the discovery to Captain Hudson, 
the latter replied that there was no doubt of it, and 
that he believed that most of the icebergs then in 


much excitement among the crew. All eagerly 
watched the flight of birds, together with the whales 
and penguins, and spoke of the proximity of land, 
which, from the appearance of never-failing signs, 
could scarcely be doubted. 

“ The field-ice is composed of a vast number of 
pieces, varying in size and separated from one an¬ 
other, the long swell keeping the outer ones always 
in motion. The smallest pieces are about six feet in 
diameter, whilst the largest sometimes exceeded five 
or six hundred feet. Their depth below the surface 



A GLACIER IN THE FROZEN OCEAN. 


sight were aground. At this time they were close in 
with the barrier, and could approach no nearer. 

“ The log-book of the Porpoise has also this notice 
in it: ‘ From six to eight calm and pleasant; took in 
studding sails; at seven set main-top-gallant stud¬ 
ding- sail: discovered what we took to be an island, 
bearing south by east; a great deal of field-ice in 
sight; noticed penguins around the brig. (Signed) 
J. H. North.’ Dr. Holmes, on the same evening, 
noted in his journal a marked appearance of land. 

“ On board the Vincennes there was on the same day 


varies still more and some appear to be soft, while 
others were hard and compact. The depth of these 
does not probably in any case exceed twenty feet. 
Most of them, and particularly the larger ones, had a 
covering of about eighteen inches of snow. The 
whole at a distance appeared like a vast level field, 
broken up as it were by the plough, and presenting 
shapeless angular masses of every possible figure, 
while here and there a table-topped iceberg was en¬ 
closed. 

“ This night we were beating with frequent tacks, in 

















































































































GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


168 

order to gain as much southing as possible. Pre¬ 
vious to its becoming broad daylight, the fog rendered 
everything obscure, even at a short distance from the 
ship. I knew that we were in close proximity to ice¬ 
bergs and field-ice, but, from the report of the look¬ 
out at sunset, believed that there was an opening or 
large bay leading to the southward. The ship had 
rapid way on her, and was much tossed about, when 
in an instant all was perfectly still and quiet; the 
transition was so sudden that many were awakened 
by it from sound sleep, and all well knew, from the 
short experience we had had, that the cessation of 
the sound and motion usual at sea, was proof that we 
had run within a line of ice—an occurrence from 
which the feeling of great danger is inseparable. The 
watch was called by the officer of the deck to be in 
readiness to execute such orders as might be neces¬ 
sary for the safety of the ship. Many of those from 
below were seen hurrying up the hatches, and those 
on deck straining their eyes to discover the barrier in 
time to avoid accident. The ship still moving rapid¬ 
ly along, some faint hope remained that the bay 
might prove a deep one, and enable me to satisfy 
my sanguine hopes and belief relative to the 
land. 

“ The feeling is awful, and the uncertainty most try¬ 
ing, thus to enter within the icy barrier, blindfolded as 
it were by an imperceptible fog, and the thought con¬ 
stantly recurring that both ship and crew were in im¬ 
minent danger ; yet I was satisfied that nothing could 
be gained but by pursuing this course. 

“On we kept, until it was reported to me by attentive 
listeners, that they heard the low and distant rustling 
of the ice; suddenly a dozen voices proclaimed the 
barrier to be in sight, just ahead. The ship, which a 
moment before seemed to be unpeopled from the 
stillness of all on board, was instantly alive with the 
bustle of performing the evolutions necessary to bring 
her to the wind, which was unfavorable to a return on 
the same track by which we had entered. After a 
quarter of an hour, the ice was again made ahead, 
and the full danger of our situation was realized. The 
ship was certainly embayed ; and, although the extent 
of sea-room to which we were limited was rendered 
invisible by the dark and murky weather, yet that we 
were closely circumscribed was evident from having 
made the ice so soon on either tack, and from the 
audible rustling around us. It required several hours 
to extricate the ship from this bay. 

“As the events which occurred on board the Peacock 
during the next few days are particularly interesting^ 
J shall proceed to narrate them in detail, leaving the 


Vincennes and Porpoise to pursue their route along 
their dangerous and novel pathway. 

“The Peacock stood into the bay which the Vincen¬ 
nes had found closed the day before, and saw the same 
appearance of high land in the distance. The water 
was much discolored, and of a dark, dirty green. 
They hove-to for the double purpose of getting a cast 
of the lead, and of lowering the boats to carry the 
instruments to a small iceberg on which it was possi¬ 
ble to land, for the purpose of making magnetic 
observations. A line of one thousand four hundred 
fathoms was prepared to sound, and to the lead was 
attached a cylinder with Six’s thermometer. The 
wind being fresh several leads at different distances 
were attached to the line. They were not aware 
that the lead-line had lead bent on at five hundred 
fathoms and it was filled with blue and slate-colored 
mud. Attached to the lead also was a piece of stone, 
and a fresh bruise on it, as though the lead had struck 
heavily on rock. 

“The remainder of the line had evidently lain on the 
bottom, as the copper cylinder was covered with mud, 
and the water inside of it was quite muddy. They 
then beat up a short distance to windward, and again 
sounded, when, with the line hanging vertically, bot¬ 
tom was reached at three hundred and twenty fathoms ; 
the matter brought up was slate-colored mud. The 
temperature of the water at the surface was 32°, and 
at the above depth 27>4°, being a decrease of 

The boats now returned, and on approaching the 
ship the persons in them were much startled by 
hearing the crew cheer in consequence of finding 
soundings. This was a natural burst of joy, on ob¬ 
taining this unquestionable proof that what they saw 
was, indeed, the land; a circumstance that, while it 
left no doubt, if any had existed in the mind of any¬ 
one on board the Peacock, that what they had pre¬ 
viously seen was truly terra firma, furnished a proof 
that cannot be gainsayed, even by those disposed to 
dispute the evidence of sight, unsupported by so de¬ 
cisive a fact. Mr. Eld and Mr. Stuart, in the boats, 
succeeded in getting observations, and the mean dip 
by the needles was 86® 16'.” 

We have quoted the words of Captain Wilkes and 
his brother officers respecting this discovery of land, 
or rather of an Antarctic continent, and resume our 
quotations from Captain Wilkes's report on January 
28th, when he found himself surrounded by icebergs: 

“ Towards midnight the wind shifted to the south¬ 
east, and enabled me to haul more to the southward. 
At 9.30 A. M. we had another sight of the land ahead 
and every prospect of nearing it, with a fine breeze 


CAPTAIN W/LKES—1840. 


169 


The sight of the icebergs around us, all of large dimen¬ 
sions, was beautiful. The greatest number in sight 
at one time was noted, and found to be more than a 
hundred, varying from a quarter of a mile to three 
miles in length. We took the most open route, and 
by 11 o’clock had run upwards of forty miles through 
them. We had the land now in plain view, but the 
weather soon began to thicken and the breeze to 
freshen. At noon it was so thick that everything was 
hidden, and no observation was obtained. The ship 
was hove-to, but shortly after again put under way 
making several tacks to keep my position, which I 
felt was becoming a critical one in case a gale should 
ensue. I, therefore, looked carefully over my chart, 
and was surprised at the vast number of icebergs that 
appeared upon it, 

“At 2 p. M. the barometer began to fall, and the 
weather to change for the worse. At 5 P. M. a gale 
was evidently coming on, so we took three reefs in the 
topsails. It appeared now that certain wreck would 
ensue, should we remain where we were ; and, after 
much consideration, I made up my mind to retrace my 
way, and seek the open space forty miles distant, 
taking for a landmark a remarkable berg that had 
been the last entered on the chart, and which would 
be a guide to my course out. I therefore stood for 
its position. The weather was so thick that it was 
necessary to run close to it, to be quite sure of 
recognizing it, for on this seemed to depend our 
safety. About the estimated time we would take to 
pass over the distance, an iceberg was made (we were 
within one thousand feet of it), which, at first view, 
I felt confident was the one sought, but was not alto¬ 
gether satisfied afterwards, I therefore again con¬ 
sulted my chart, and became more doubtful of it. 
Just at that moment I was called on deck by an offi¬ 
cer, who informed me there were icebergs a short 
distance ahead. Such proved to be the case ; our 
path was beset with them, and it was evident we 
could not regain our route. To return was worse, so, 
having but little choice left, I determined to keep on. 
To encounter these icebergs so soon after seeing the 
other, was in some respects satisfactory, for it re¬ 
moved all doubts, and showed me we were so near 
the track by which we entered. Nothing, therefore, 
was to be done but to keep a good lookout and the 
ship under sufficient way to steer well. My safest 
plan was to keep as near our former track as possi¬ 
ble, believing it to be most free of these masses. On 
the morning of the 30th the sun rose in great brill¬ 
iancy, and the scene was altogether unlike that we 
had passed through only twenty-four hours before. 


All was now quiet, a biisk breeze blew from the east¬ 
ward, all sail was set, and there was every prospect 
that we might accomplish our object; for the land 
was in sight and the icebergs seemed floating in quiet. 
We wound our way through them in a sea so smooth 
that a yawl might have passed over it in safety. No 
straight line could have been drawn from us in any 
direction that would not have cut a dozen icebergs in 
the same number of miles, and the wondering ex¬ 
clamations of the officers and crew were oft repeated 
—‘ How could we have passed through them un¬ 
harmed ? ’ and ‘ What a lucky ship ! ’ At 8 o’clock 
we had reached the icy barrier, and hove-to close to 
it. It was tantalizing with the land in sight, to be 
again and again blocked out. Open water was seen 
near the land to the southwest of us, and a tortuous 
channel through the broken ice to leeward apparently 
leading to it. All sail was immediately crowded ; we 
passed rapidly through, and found ourselves again in 
clear water, which reached to the shores ; the barrier 
extending in a line with our course, about two miles 
to windward, and a clear channel to the northwest, 
about two miles wide, as far as the eye could reach. 
Seeing this, I remarked to one of the officers that it 
would have been a good place to drift in during the 
last gale—little thinking that in a few short hours it 
would serve us for that purpose in still greater need. 
A brisk gale ensued, and the ship ran at the rate of 
nine or ten miles an hour ; one reef was taken in the 
topsails, and we stood directly in for the most south¬ 
erly part of the bay. 

“ This bay was formed partly by rocks and partly by 
ice-islands. The latter were aground, and on the 
western side of the bay extended about five miles to 
the northward of our position. While we stood on 
in this direction the gale increased, and our room be¬ 
came so circumscribed that we had not time on any 
one tack to reduce our canvass before it became nec¬ 
essary to go about. In this way we approached 
within half a mile of the dark volcanic rocks, which 
appeared on both sides of us; and saw the land 
gradually rising beyond the ice to the height of three 
thousand feet, and entirely covered with snow. It 
could be distinctly seen extending away to the south 
and west of our position, fully sixty miles, I make 
this bay in Longitude 140® 2' 30" E., Latitude 66° 
45' S.; and now that all were convinced of its exist¬ 
ence, I gave the land the name of the Antarctic Con¬ 
tinent. Some of the officers pointed out the appear¬ 
ance of smoke, as if from a volcano, but I was of 
opinion that this was nothing but the snow-drift 
caused by the heavy squalls. There was too much 


170 


GREA T ARCTIC TRA VELLERS. 


wind at this time to tack, I, therefore, had recourse 
to luffing the vessel up in the wind, and wore her 
short round on her heel. At the same time we 
sounded, and found a hard bottom at the depth of no 
more than thirty fathoms. I have called this bay 
Piner’s Bay, after the signal quartermaster of that 
name. It was impossible to lower a boat or to re¬ 
main longer; indeed, I felt it imperative on me to 
clear its confined space before the floating ice might 
close it up. At 10.30 A.M. we had gone round, and 
in an hour more we had cleared the bay. At noon 
the wind had increased to a gale, and by i o’clock 
P. M. we were reduced to storm sails, with our top¬ 
gallant yards on deck. The barometer had again de¬ 
clined rapidly, proving a true indicator, but giving lit¬ 
tle or no warning. To run the gauntlet again among 
the icebergs was out of the question, for a large quan¬ 
tity of field-ice would have to be passed through, 
which must have done us considerable damage, if it 
did not entirely disable us. The clear space we occu¬ 
pied was retained until five or six o’clock, when I 
found the floe-ice was coming down upon us. I then 
determined to lay the ship for a fair drift through the 
channel I had observed in the morning, and which I 
had every reason to believe, from the wind (southeast) 
blowing directly through it would not be obstructed 
until the floe-ice came down. It was a consolation 
to know that, if we were compelled to drift, we should 
do so faster than the ice. I, therefore, thought it as 
well to avoid it as long as possible. 

“ Another reason determined me to delay the drift¬ 
ing to the latest moment, I did not believe that the 
extent of the channel we had seen in the morning was 
more than ten miles, and at the rate we drifted the 
end of it would be reached long before the gale was 
over. This, like the former gale, was an old-fash¬ 
ioned snow-storm. All the canvas we could show 
to it at one time was a close-reefed maintopsail and 
fore storm-sail. It blew tremendously, and the sea 
we experienced was a short, disagreeable one, but 
nothing to be compared to that which accompanied 
the first gale. From the shortness of the sea I in¬ 
ferred that we had some current. This state of 
things continued for several hours, during which we 
every moment expected to reach the end of our chan¬ 
nel. Since the last gale the whole crew, officers and 
men, had been put in watch and watch, ready for an 
instantaneous call, and prepared for rapid move¬ 
ments. The snow was of the same sleety or cutting 
character as that of the previous day, and seemed as 
if armed with sharp icicles or needles. The 31st 
brought no moderation of the weather. At i a. m. a 


group of ice-islands was reported, and shortly after¬ 
wards field-ice close under our lee. We wore ship 
instantly, and just avoided coming in contact with the 
latter. Sail was immediately made on the ship and 
the scene of the former gale gone through with this 
exception that we were now passing to and fro among 
icebergs immediately to windward of the bar¬ 
rier and each tack brought us nearer to it. 
Between 4 and 5 A. M. our space was becoming con¬ 
fined, and there was no abatement of the gale; I 
therefore, as it had cleared sufficiently to enable us 
to see a quarter of a mile, determined to bear up and 
run off north-northwest for a clear sea. In doing 
this we passed icebergs of all dimensions and heavy 
floe-ice. By 8.30 A. M. we had run thirty miles, when, 
finding a more open sea, I judged we had partially 
cleared the ice. At noon the gale still continued. 
The lowest reading of the barometer during this gale 
was 28.59 After lasting thirty hours, the gale, at 
6 P. M., began to moderate a little, when we again 
made sail to the southward. I now felt inclined to 
seek Piner’s Bay again, in order to effect a landing. 
This would have been a great personal gratification ; 
but the bay was sixty miles distant, so that to revisit 
it would occupy time that was now precious ; and 
feeling satisfied that a great tract of land wholly 
unknown lay to the westward, I deemed it my duty 
to proceed to its discovery. Not doubting that if my 
opinions of its existence were correct, a place equally 
feasible for landing would be found.” 

On January 31st, the medical officers of the expedition 
report to Captain Wilkes that the condition of the 
crew was such that a few days more of such exposure 
would imperil the ship and the lives of all aboard, and 
with this report the majority of the officers agreed, 
but Wilkes resolved to persevere in his task till it was 
impossible to persist any longer. He, therefore, 
ordered sail to be made and steered southward with 
the land in sight, but the barrier along which they 
were sailing prevented any nearer approach. Febru¬ 
ary opened with unsettled weather, and for ten days 
they continued running along the perpendicular ice 
barrier about one hundred and fifty feet high beyond 
which the outline of the high land could be distin¬ 
guished. On tbe 9th they came in 125“ 19' E. and 
65. 8. S, and on the loth the barrier seemed more 
broken and there was an indistinct appearance of land 
to the southward. 

During the 12th we had pleasant weather, and at 
2 A.M. filled away. At 8 A. M. land was reported to 
the southwest. Keeping along the barrier and increas¬ 
ing our latitude, I again had hopes of getting near the 


CAPTAIN WILKES—1840. 


and. We passed through great quantities of large 
floe-ice until i p. m. when the solid barrier prevented 
our further progress. Land was now distinctly seen, 
from eighteen to twenty miles distant bearing from 
south-southeast to southwest—a lofty mountain range 
covered with snow, though showing many ridges and 
indentations. I laid the ship to for three hours, in 
hopes of discovering some opening or mov'ement in 
the ice, but none was experienced. I tried the cur¬ 
rent and found none. The water was of a dirty dark 
green. We sounded with the wire line in two 
hundred and fifty fathoms, and found no bottom. 
The temperature at that depth was 30>^°, of the 
air 31°. 

We kept steadily along the ice-barrier until we 
had decreased our Longitude to 112° 16' 12" E., while 
our Latitude was 64° 57' S. This puts the land in 
about 65° 20' S, and its trending nearly east and west. 
The line of the icy barrier was generally uniform, 
although it was occasionally pierced with deep bays. 
We saw some icebergs with decided spots of earth 
upon them, which gave me hopes of yet obtaining the 
object of my wishes. The water was remarkably 
smooth during this day and the weather clear, ena¬ 
bling us to see a great distance. Two hours after we 
bore away, we left the floe-ice, and entered a clear 
sea to the westward, when we lost sight of the bar¬ 
rier for a time ; but in hauling up to the southwest, it 
was, by 8 P, M., within three miles of us when we 
again kept off parallel to its trending. The appear¬ 
ance of land still continued. Shortly after, I hove-to, 
for the purpose of awaiting the daylight to continue 
our observations of the land with little prospect or 
probability of reaching it, from the immense quantity 
of ice which continued to form an impenetrable 
barrier. 

13th.—At 2 A. M. we made sail to the southwest, 
in order to close with the barrier, which we found re¬ 
treated in that direction, and gave us every prospect 
of getting nearer to it. Our course was, for the most 
part, through icebergs of tabular form. In the after¬ 
noon we had the land ahead and stood in for it with 
a light breeze until 6 P, M., when I judged it to be ten 
or twelve miles distant. It was very distinct, and 
extended from west-southwest to south-southeast. 
We were now in Longitude 160° 40' E., and Latitude 
65“ 57' S.: the variation was 54° 30' westerly. The 
water was very green. We sounded in three hun¬ 
dred fathoms, and found no bottom. The weather 
having an unsettled appearance w’e stood off to seek 
a clearer space for the night. The land left was high, 
rounded, and covered with snow, resembling that first 


171 

discovered, and had the appearance of being bound 
by perpendicular icy cliffs. 

14th.—At daylight we again made sail for the land, 
beating in for it until 11 A. M., when we found any 
further progress quite impossible, I then judged it 
was seven or eight miles distant. The day was re¬ 
markably clear, and the land very distant. By meas¬ 
urement we made the extent of coast of the Antarctic 
Continent, which was then in sight, seventy-five miles, 
and by approximate measurement three thousand feet 
high. It was entirely covered with snow. Longi¬ 
tude at noon 106° 18' 42" E., Latitude 65° 59' 40" S., 
variation 57° 5' westerly. On running in we had 
passed several icebergs greatly discolored with earth, 
and finding we could not approach the shore any 
nearer, I determined to land on the larger ice-island 
that seemed accessible to it, to make dip, intensity, 
and variation observations. On coming up with it 
about one and a half miles from where the barrier had 
stopped us, I hove the ship to, lowered the boats, and 
fortunately effected a landing. We found embedded 
in it in places boulders, stones, gravel, sand, and mud 
or clay. The larger specimens were of red sandstone 
and basalt. No signs of stratification were to be seen 
in it, but it was in places formed of icy conglomera¬ 
tion (if I may use the expression) composed of large 
pieces of rocks, as it were, frozen together, and the ice 
was extremely hard and flint-like. The largest 
boulder embedded in it was about five or six feet in 
diameter, but being situated under the shelf of the 
iceberg, we were not able to get at it. Many speci¬ 
mens were obtained, and it was amusing to see the 
eagerness and desire of all hands to possess them¬ 
selves of a piece of the Antarctic Continent. The 
pieces were in great demand during the remainder of 
the cruise. In the centre of this iceberg was found 
a pond of most delicious water, over which was a 
scum of ice about ten inches thick. We obtained 
from it about five hundred gallons. 

“ We remained upon this iceberg several hours, 
and the men amused themselves to their hearts’ con¬ 
tent in sliding. The pond was three feet deep, ex¬ 
tending over an area of an acre, and contained suffi¬ 
cient water for half a dozen ships. The temperature 
of the water was 31°. This island had been undoubt¬ 
edly turned partly over, and had precisely the same 
appearance that the icy barrier would have exhibited 
if it had been turned bottom up and subsequently 
much worn by storms. There was no doubt that it 
had been detached from the land which was about 
eight miles distant.” 

On tlie 14th and 15th many icebergs discolored 


172 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


with earth, stones, etc., were passed, and although the 
weather was lowering, Wilkes resolved to push on his 
explorations, hoping that they might join Enderby 
Land. On the 17th the barrier was seen running 
north and south as far as the eye could reach, and 
they were thus cut off from all progress westward. 
A beautiul aurora borealis was seen that surpassed 
in its brilliancy of coruscations anything before seen 
by the explorers. 

On the 18th we continued beating to the eastward, 
and found no end to the apparently interminable 
barrier. We had a smooth sea, and better weather 
than I anticipated. At noon, we had retraced 
our way about forty miles. To-day we again had 
snow, which fell in the form of regular six-pointed 
stars. The needles of which these stars were formed 
were quite distinct, and of regular crystals. The 
temperature at the time was 28°. The barometer 
stood at 28° 76', about three-tenths lower than we 
had had it for the last twelve days. The wind was 
easterly. 

“ i9th.-^During the day the barrier trended more to 
the northeast, and we not unfrequently entered bays 
so deep as to find ourselves, on reaching the extrem¬ 
ity cut off by the barrier, and compelled to return to 
within a few miles of the place where we had 
entered. I thought at first that this might have been 
caused by the tide or current, but repeated trials 
showed none. Neither did I detect any motion in the 
floating ice except what was caused by the wind. 
Our Longitude to-day was 101° E., Latitude 63° 2' S, 
Some anxiety seemed to exist among the officers and 
crew lest we should find ourselves embayed or cut off 
from the clear sea by a line of barrier. There ap¬ 
peared strong reason for this apprehension, as the 
smooth sea we had had for several days still contin¬ 
ued ; we had been sailing as if upon a river, and the 
water had not assumed its blue color. 

“ It was, therefore, with great pleasure that, on the 
20th, a slight swell was perceived, and the barrier be¬ 
gan to trend more to the northward and afterwards 
again to the westward. In the morning we found 
ourselves still surrounded by great numbers of ice- 
islands. After obtaining a tolerably clear space, the 
day being rather favorable, we sounded with a deep- 
sea line eight hundred and fifty fathoms. Six’s ther¬ 
mometer gave at the surface 31° and at the depth 
named 35^, an increase of 4^^. The current was 
again tried, but none was found. A white object 
was visible at eight fathoms. The water had now 
assumed a bluish cast. 

We endeavored to-day to land on an iceberg, but 


there was too much sea. Shrimps were in great 
quantities about it, but swam too deep to be taken. 
The wind again shifted to the westward, which dis¬ 
appointed me, as I was in hopes of getting to the 
position where Cook saw the ice in 1773, being now 
nearly in the same latitude. It was less than one 
hundred miles to the westward of us; and little 
doubt can exist that its situation has not materially 
changed in sixty-seven years. 

“The observations of the squadron during this sea¬ 
son’s Antarctic cruise together with those of the pre¬ 
ceding year would seem to confirm the opinion that 
very little change takes place, in the line of ice. It 
may be inferred that the line of perpetual congelation 
exists in a lower latitude in some parts of the south¬ 
ern hemisphere than in others. The icy barrier 
retreats several degrees to the south of the Antarctic 
Circle to the west of Cape Horn, while to the east¬ 
ward it in places advances to the northward of that 
line which is no doubt owing to the situation of the 
land. From the great quantities of ice to be found 
drifting in all parts of the ocean in high southern lat¬ 
itudes I am induced to believe that the formation of the 
ice-islands is much more rapid than is generally sup¬ 
posed. The manner of their formation claimed much 
of my attention while among them, and I think it may 
be explained satisfactorily and without difficulty. In 
the first place, I conceive the ice requires a nucleus 
whereon the fogs, snow, and rain may congeal and 
accumulate ; this the land affords. 

“Accident then separates part of this mass of ice 
from the land, when it drifts off, and is broken into 
many pieces, and part of this may again join that 
which is in progress of formation.” 

With regard to his discovery of an Antarctic Con¬ 
tinent, Captain Wilkes adds: 

“ The evidence that an extensive continent lies 
within the icy barrier must have appeared in the ac¬ 
count of my proceedings, but will be, I think, more 
forcibly exhibited by a comparison with the aspect of 
other lands in the same southern parallel. Palmer’s 
Land, for instance, which is in like manner invested 
with ice, is so at certain seasons of the year only 
while at others it is quite clear, because strong cur¬ 
rents prevail there which sweep the ice off to the 
northeast. Along the Antarctic Continent for the 
whole distance explored, which is upwards of fifteen 
hundred miles, no open strait is found. The coast, 
where the ice permitted approach, was found en¬ 
veloped with a perpendicular barrier, in some cases 
unbroken for fifty miles. If there was only a chain 
of islands the outline of the ice would, undoubtedly, 



' t 




BURIAL IN THE SNOW, 











































































































































































































































































174 


CHEAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


be of another form ; and it is scarcely to be conceived 
that so long a chain of islands could extend so nearly 
in the same parallel of latitude. The land has none 
■of the abruptness of termination that the islands of 
high southern latitudes exhibit; and I am satisfied 
that it exists in one uninterrupted line of coast, from 
Ringgold’s Knoll, in the east, to Enderby’s Land, in 
the west; that the coast (at the Longitude 95° E.) 
trends to the north, and this will account for the icy 
barrier existing, with little alteration, where it was 
seen by Cook in 1773. The vast number of ice-is¬ 
lands conclusively points out that there is some exten¬ 
sive nucleus which retains them in their position ; for 
I can see no reason why the ice should not be disen¬ 
gaged from islands, if they were such as happens in 
all other cases in like latitudes. The formation of the 
coast is different from what would be probably found 
near islands, soundings being obtained in compara¬ 
tively shoal water; and the color of the water also 
indicates that it is not like other southern lands, 
abrupt and precipitous. This cause is sufficient to 
retain the huge masses of ice by their being attached 
by their lower surfaces instead of their sides only.” 

To return to the Porpoise. On January 22d, we 
had lost sight of the Peacock, and continued to beat 
to the southward. On the 30th, she came in sight of 


two ships which Ringgold, the commander of the 
Porpoise, thought were the ships of Ross’s expedi¬ 
tion, and prepared “ to cheer the discoverer of the 
North Magnetic Pole,” On approaching them, how¬ 
ever, he saw the French flag flying, and concluded 
that they were the two ships of the French Antarctic 
expedition, under Captain D’Arville. He closed with 
him, but when he came within a musket shot, the 
French ships made sail and displayed no wish for an 
interview or any communication. Ringgold at once 
lowered his colors and bore up. Captain Wilkes ex¬ 
presses his surprise that such a cold reception should 
have been given to his officers; and it certainly was a 
strange mode of proceeding towards the ships of a 
friendly nation engaged in a scientific enterprise. 

After this attempt to communicate with the French 
ships, the weather became thick, and D’Arville’s ves¬ 
sels were out of sight. Ringgold continued his course 
till, on February 14th, he reached 64® 15' S. and 100“ 
E., whence he commenced his return. The Vincennes 
began her journey northward on February 21st, and 
arrived at Sydney on the nth of March, where she 
found the Peacock undergoing repairs. The Porpoise 
reached the Auckland Islands on March 7th. With 
this return the Antarctic portion of Captain Wilkes’? 
narrative ends. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


CAPTAIN SIR JAMES ROSS—1840-1843. 


Early in 1839, it was announced that the British 
Oovernment would send out an expedition to the 
Antarctic seas under Captain Ross. The ships selected 
for the purpose were the Erebus and Terror; Ross 
himself, with R. McCormick, zoologist, and J, Hooker, 
botanist, being on the Erebus, while Captain Crozier 
commanded the Terror ; and on September 24th, both 
ships set sail from Chatham. There is nothing to record 
on their voyage to Australia, where they made their 
final preparations, and set sail from Hobarttown 
November 12, 1840. On the 23d they landed at one 
of the Auckland Islands, where some time was spent, 
and on January i, 1841, crossed the Antarctic Circle, 
and in a few days were in the pack. On the loth, 
they reached the 70° of south Latitude in 174° 43' 


Longitude, and on the nth land was reported ahead 
from the crow’s nest. McCormick writes : 

” This newly discovered land at first appeared very 
indistinct through a light haze, and a few light clouds 
skirting the horizon. It was best seen on the port 
bow where I could just trace the faint outline of a 
somewhat conical summit of a lofty mountain, having 
a steep escarpment longitudinally streaked white with 
snow. After the lapse of about an hour it became 
so intermingled with the hazy, cloudy horizon, as to 
give rise to doubts in the minds of some as to its be¬ 
ing in reality land at all. 

“ At 9 A. M., however, when I again saw it, it had 
become sufficiently well defined and clear in outline 
to enable me to get a sketch of it. It extended from 


CAPTAIN SIR JAMES ROSS—1840-1843. 


175 


V 

r 

i 

i 

f 

I 

t: 


r 

L 


i 


y 

k 


S 

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i 





S. E. by S. to S. W. by S.; very high, and enveloped 
in a mantel of snow, except the lower parts of the 
steep escarpment rising above the sea, and these were 
black, where not longitudinally streaked with snow; 
but the range was an entire glaciation beneath a 
white mantle of snow, relieved only at intervals by 
the dark apex of some hummock or projecting moun¬ 
tain peak, piercing through the snow-clad mantle. 
The weather was all that could be desired for giving 
effect to such a magnificent panorama, as gradually 
unfolded itself like a dissolving view to our astonished 
eyes. The sky was clear azure blue, with the most 
brilliant sunshine; the thermometer at 31° with a 
fresh breeze from the westward. The refraction in 
the atmosphere caused the land to appear visible at a 
much greater distance, for we were all day standing 
in towards it. The northern side, which we were 
approaching, presented a ver}" remarkable appear¬ 
ance ; a cluster of white angular-shaped hummocks 
or small peaks in the background resembling a vast 
mass of crystallization, having a steep wall or encarp- 
ment of black rock like lava in the foreground next 
the sea, near which several large icebergs lay aground 
and evidently had been separated from the barrier, 
for where the land trended to the southeast a whole 
line of them were in process of formation and off 
which a small island with several rocks are grouped, 
from which a narrow stream of ice extends out to 
seaward. We tacked ship during the first watch ; 
an^ at 11 P. M. I got another sketch of the coast. Saw 
several birds about—a stormy petrel, a gigantic 
petrel, a white petrel, a pintado, and some penguins. 
The Latitude at noon was 71° 14' 45" and Longtitude 
171° 15', consequently we are now beyond Captain 
Cook’s Farthest, and have discovered a new land, or 
so expensive a coastline, attaining such an altitude, 
as to justify, from its general aspect, the appellation 
of a “ Southern Continent ” in the highest latitude 
within the Antarctic Circle yet known, and we have 
now but Weddell’s track to get beyond.” 

Next day Captain Ross took possession of an island 
off the coast, naming it “ Possession Island,” which 
they found occupied by myriads of penguins, and 
after this ceremony had to beat to windward for 
several days. During this time McCormick took 
several sketches of the land, with its lofty, magnificent- 
looking coast line, and lofty peaks majestically tower¬ 
ing above the clouds. On the 19th the wind changed, 
and both ships crowded all sail for the southward in 
hopes of reaching the new-found territorj', but snow 
and wind again delayed them. On the 25th, a lofty 
peak, which they called Mount Melbourne, was seen ; 


it was evidently volcanic, with a perfectly-shaped 
crater, while beyond it other mountains were visible. 
Dr. McCormick then continues his narrative in the 
following terms: 

“ Thursday, January 28th, we were startled by the 
most unexpected discovery in this vast region of 
glaciation, of a stupendous volcanic mountain in a 
high state of activity. At 10 a.m., upon going on 


ROBERT M’CORMICK. 

deck, my attention was* arrested by what appeared at 
the moment to be a fine snow drift, driving from the 
summit of a lofty crater-shaped peak, rising from the 
centre of an island (apparently) on the starboard bow. 

“As we made a nearer approach, however, this 
apparent snow drift resolved itself into a dense column 
of black smoke, intermingled with flashes of red flame, 
emerging from a magnificent volcanic vent, so near 
the South Pole, and in the very centre of a mighty 





176 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


mountain range, encased in eternal ice and snow. 
The peak itself, which rises to the altitude of 12,400 
feet above the level of the sea, is situated in the Lati¬ 
tude of 77° 31' S., and in Longitude 167° i' E., and was 
named after our ship, Mount Erebus. Adjacent to it, 
and only separated by a saddle of ice-clad land on its 
east, arose a sister mountain to the height of 10,900 
feet, but now extinct, though having the same general 
outline. It received the name of Mount Terror, after 
that of our consort. Its sides were partially covered 
with snow, presenting the appearance of having been 
melted in many of the depressions on its sides, and 
again frozen into pools, glittering like molten metal in 
the sun’s rays, and extending down the sides of the 
mountain, in a broken serpentine stream to the great 
wall of ice which extends from its base, forming a 
point or cape. This sea-wall having a perpendicular 
face and tabular summit, averages 150 feet in altitude, 
with caverns hollowed out by the constant action of 
the waves, producing a remarkable effect of light and 
shade along its whole margin, which extends in a 
southeasterly and northwesterly direction, and along 
which our course lay to the southward, between it 
and the pack. 

“ On the starboard beam another small island ap¬ 
peared, bearing south, which received the name of 
Beaufort Island, after our excellent and talented 
hydrographer to the admiralty. Sir Francis Beaufort. 
There was also an appearance of land broad on the 
port bow. At 5 P. M. I went up to the crow’s nest, 
but could perceive no termination to the great ice- 
wall, which we have named the Great Southern 
Barrier, and barring our way to the pole. We are 
shaping a N. W. course along it, distant, [perhaps, 
three or four leagues. A number of white petrel, 
and now and then a solitary lestris of predatory 
habits, like its congener, the Skua gull of the north, 
have been the companions of our voyage for the last 
few days. Weather very fine and clear, thermometer 
29°; wind S. W.; Latitude, 76° 57'; Longitude, 169® 
24' 50" E.; ship under studding and topgallant sails. 

“Yesterday, the 30th, we ran parallel with the bar¬ 
rier, but to-day a change in the wind, and the weather 
becoming thick and gloomy, with a fall of small snow, 
compelled us to stand to the northward, and to 
relinquish, for the present, the following up the course 
of the barrier. There was neither land nor ice in 
sight to-day; thermometer, 28°; Latitude, 77° 35' 
D. R.; Longitude, 181® 20'. We have followed this 
lofty barrier of steep and perpendicular ice-cliffs, 
varying in height from 100 or 150 to 200 and 300 feet, 
for upwards of a hundred miles. The depth, 410 


fathoms ; the lead in sounding sank at least two feet 
in soft green mud, seemed to indicate that the outer 
edge of the barrier could not be attached to the bot¬ 
tom, but must be borne upward by the water. The 
high land forming the background of the barrier 
being the southernmost known land, was named after 
our worthy old Arctic chief. Sir Edward Parry, the 
Parry Mountains.” 

The following days were bright and the sea smooth, 
but the cold increased as they ran along the ice- 
barrier for at least 160 miles, passing a whole chain 
of table-topped bergs, shed from the barrier itself and 
200 miles from its origin at Cape Crozier. “ The won¬ 
drous scene nature has unfolded here, even beyond 
what might have been anticipated in this land of won¬ 
derment, has had the effect of riveting me to the deck 
for the last twenty-four hours, a volunteer and most 
willing sharer in the duties of every officer during 
that period. Last night, after sounding in 275 fathoms 
green mud, the barrier at midnight was seven miles 
distant, its extremes bearing from S. E. to N. Yz W., 
and the line of the pack-ice from S. W. % S. to N. N. 
W. Y W. Being myself most anxious to trace this 
mighty wall of ice continuously without a break so as 
to see all I could of it, I never turned in at all, but 
kept the deck throughout the night, a night never to 
be effaced from memory’s tablet to the latest hour of 
existence ; and well was I rewarded for the temporary 
sacrifice of a night’s rest and sleep by the grand and 
sublime panorama which was unfolded to and arrested 
my gaze like some striking, shifting scene on the stage, 
as the ‘ noonday ’ night of this high latitude wore on, 
and scene succeeded scene in nature’s unrivalled dis¬ 
play of her great Creator’s works. 

“ The night, so-called, although, in fact, day here, 
was, indeed, most favorable, being remarkably fine, 
the azure blue of the sky above was mottled over with 
curdled white, like cumuli, a mackerel sky in short. 
To windward the moon’s pale silvery disc every now 
and then emerged from beneath the clouds on the 
port beam, whilst the brighter rays from the glorious 
sun clearly indicated its position behind a bank of 
cirro-stratus on the starboard beam to leeward. We 
were sailing along a channel bounded on the star¬ 
board by the barrier, and on the port side by the 
heavy pack, passing through a quantity of young ice 
in streams varying in breadth, their outlines marked 
by a deeper shade of color than the surrounding 
water. Each piece of ice assumed what we called 
the pancake ice, in form and size, having the margin 
slightly elevated and turned up, the pieces thickly 
packed together, some streams consisting of larger 


CAPTAIN SIP JAMES POSS—/S40-/S4J. 


177 


and nnore irregular-shaped masses, oblong, oval, and 
of irregular, hexagonal figures, from a foot to three 
or four feet in diameter, lined as if from several 
smaller ones having become cemented together,” 

On February 9th, McCormick says : 

“ At 5.40 A.M. the break in the barrier was visible, 
forming an inlet, or bight, perhaps a quarter of a mile 
wide, and from a mile to two miles in depth, bounded 
on its starboard side by a very strikingly bold promon¬ 
tory of ice, for which we had been for some time 
standing in, and now went about when within a 


sented to the barrier. Captain Ross got soundings at 
330 fathoms, and again at 6.15 A.M., in 318 fathoms, 
green mud as usual, whilst standing off. The only 
spot where the upper surface of the barrier could be 
seen was at the further extremity of the bight, the 
cliffs of ice forming the sides, sloping down to a low 
angle, where they meet, and above which the upper 
plain surface rose like a smooth, snow-clad, swelling 
hill in the distant background. The enormous icicles 
suspended from the basal portions of the steep mural 
precipices forming the portal and promontory to this 



MOUNTS EREBUS AND TERROR, 


quarter of a mile of it, with a moderate breeze blow¬ 
ing. We had tacked none too soon, for its great height 
above our mastheads, even at this distance, took the 
wind out of our sails as we hung in stays. Captain 
Ross, coming on deck at the moment, rated the lieu¬ 
tenant in charge of the watch for venturing so near 
before putting the ship about. But conscience for¬ 
bids my letting him bear all the blame for this bit of 
daring, the temptation to have a nearer view into this 
extraordinary recess in the barrier having prompted 
it. When the good old ship’s stern had been pre¬ 


great inlet in the southern barrier, had a most impos¬ 
ing and striking effect as the old Erebus, when nearest 
to it, turned her stern toward it, after getting her 
head round. The whole scene was one calculated to 
inspire no less awe and wonder than that of Mount 
Erebus itself, ejecting smoke and ffame from the sum¬ 
mit of its stupendous peak of thick-ribbed eternal 
ice and snow,” 

On the loth the weather became more wintry, but 
winds were light, and on the i6th the explorers saw 
the great volcano. Mount Erebus, sending forth a 








178 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS, 


dense volume of smoke, in the lower portion of which 
a red flame might be seen. It was ascertained not to 
be an island, as had been supposed at first, but united 
to Mount Terror and the mainland, from which it was 
parted by a deep bay. 

" I remained on deck,” McCormick continues, “ a 
not unusual circumstance with me, all night; and at 
10.30 P.M. I saw the sun set for the first time; the 
the wane, forming a slender crescent. During the 
first watch Mount Erebus presented a splendid spec¬ 
tacle, sending upwards a tall, dense column of smoke, 
tinted red on the right side and extending out in that 
direction in an oblique line of pale red along the sky, 
a smaller vent appearing on the first eminence to the 
right of the crater, ultimately a bank of dark clouds of 
a deep neutral tint color, surmounted by a reddish 
flush, with foam-like edges, screened the mountain; 
the volume of flame-tinted smoke curling just above 
this stratum of clouds to the right disappeared alto¬ 
gether about I P.M.” 

On February i8th they made their nearest approach 
to the Magnetic Pole, but all hope of nearing the Pole 
was abandoned for the season. 

The result of this year’s work may be briefly stated 
as the discovery of an Antarctic Continent, which was 
traced from 70° to 79® of latitude till this great icy 
barrier, commencing at the terminal cape of Mount 
Terror, extended its unbroken length for over two hun¬ 
dred and fifty miles, arresting all progress southward. 
Behind the barrier were named the Parry Mountains, 
and to an island near was given the name of Franklin, 
after Sir John Franklin. 

After spending the summer in various visits to the 
Pacific Ocean, to New Zealand, and elsewhere. Cap¬ 
tain Ross prepared for his second attempt to penetrate 
the great mystery of the south. On December i6lh 
the first berg was seen, and two days afterwards they 
were in the pack. January i, 1842, was ushered in 
with fine weather, and the 3d the ships were closely 
beset, and for the next fortnight they were either bor¬ 
ing through the ice or else beating about in pools of 
water. There was little to break the monotony of their 
daily life during most of this time. The crews of the 
ships visited each other, and some seals and penguins 
were caught. But on January 20th they were destined 
to witness one of the most extraordinary sights in the 
annals of navigation, which is thus described by 
McCormick: 

" We encountered a heavy gale of wind, little short 
of a West India hurricane in its force, whilst beset in 
in this vast and close pack of ice. It was a heaving 
sea, with a long swell, unprecedented in the Antarctic 


seas. Each mountain wave was crested, not by spray 
and foam, but bore on its summit huge masses of solid 
ice, hard as adamant, intermingled with brash and 
ddbris, resulting from the tremendous collision of ice 
with ice in the combined tumult of waters, both fluid 
and solid ; and notwithstanding the enormous pressure 
of the ice borne on their surface, some of these waves 
ran so high as to render the Terror's main topsail 
yard barely visible above them, when she fell into the 
trough between two of them, scarely half a mile ahead 
of us. 

“ Both ships had been rolling heavily all through the 
preceding night, coming so violently in collision 
with the ice as to shake their whole framework in 
such a way as to render it doubtful whether their 
timbers, strongly put together as they were, could 
much longer resist the fearful strain on them. The 
swell appeared to come from the W. N. W., and the 
ships drift to S. by E. The Terror was under her 
main topsail on the cap. We were limited to the 
main trysail and fore staysail, backing and filling as 
requisite, to clear the heavier pieces of ice, or by low¬ 
ering the fore staysail and squaring the main yard 
to drop astern of them. Then, again, forging ahead 
by dropping the fore sail, etc., the main topsail 
hanging loose upon the cap. Barometer at 2 P. M. 
28° 49'. We passed perilously close to some enor¬ 
mous hard masses, having white table-topped 
summits ten to twelve feet above the surface of the 
sea having a horizontal hollow line, in their perpen¬ 
dicular sides, reflecting a beautiful cobalt-blue color, 
and vertically streaked with an appendage of white 
pendent icicles, apparently resting on older ice as a 
basis, having a pale, yellowish-brown color at the 
water’s edge, divided by short pillars. Beneath the 
surface of the water large tongues of ice, having a 
convex upper surface, and smooth, blue appearance, 
hard as the granite rock itself, stretched out far 
beyond, on which the roaring surf broke. Were a 
ship’s bottom—her weakest part—to strike on this, 
no human power could possibly preserve her from 
instant destruction in a sea like this, with such a hur¬ 
ricane raging around. We, indeed, passed in very 
close proximity to one mass, of a rounded, hard, 
washed, blue appearance, pitching as it were, bows 
under, like a ship going down in the turmoil of waters 
raging around. 

“ Fortunately for us there were none of the large ' 
bergs in our line of drift, and only two far to leeward. 
Two poor seals were quietly sleeping on a piece of 
ice ahead, apparently, if not unconscious, indifferent 
to the turbulent scene of the elements around them. 


CAPTAIN SIR JAMES ROSS—1S40-1S43, 


A solitary black and brown, and a white petrel or 
two were now and then seen hovering overhead in the 
height of the gale. The sky itself presented one 
uniform, lurid, leaden color; the wind was from the 
N. N. W., and the barometer falling all day; snow in 
large flakes fell at intervals, and in the afternoon the 
weather became thicker with fog. At 12.30 we 
drifted into a lane of open water. During the last 
dog-watch the wind shifted around to the westward, 
and the gale and swell both became much abated. 

“ We had our rudder, injured, and on exchanging 
signals with the Terror, learnt that hers was in a 
much worse condition than our 
own; made the signal to rendez¬ 
vous at the Falkland Islands, in the 
event of parting company. The 
Terror, as she rose on a sea 
showed her copper sheating, very 
bright and polished from the scrub¬ 
bing it had sustained in her late 
collision with the ice. 

“At 7 P. M. we passed a very 
beautiful young seal of the large 
dark kind, reposing on a piece of 
ice not ten yards from the port side 
of the ship. He was four or five 
feet in length, blackish-brown 
above, hair short and thick, crisp 
looking underneath, gray, mottled 
with black both on flanks and 
flippers. The poor animal seem.ed 
much astonished at his close prox¬ 
imity to the ship, looking round 
him with a bewildered expression, 
which was soon converted into 
fear and dread by the laughing and 
noise on deck, and at once set 
about crawling off the ice, propel¬ 
ling himself along on his chest,with- 
out making any use of his flippers, 
progressing by curving in his spine, thus shorten¬ 
ing in his body as a caterpillar would do, the hind 
or tail flipper being vertically closed, and passively 
stretched out on the ice. On rolling off the ice into 
the sludge, he then made use of his fore flippers in 
endeavoring to get upon another piece of ice, but be¬ 
ing unsuccessful he rolled over on his back and dis¬ 
appeared.” 

On February 12th, they passed “Cook’s Furthest,” 
in Longitude 170® 13' E., and on the 22d came in 
sight of their old friend the Great Barrier, and 
on the 23d hove-to about two miles from a 


179 

promontory in it, and took soundings in 290 
fathoms. 

“ Whilst the line was running out, I seated myself ” 
Mr. McCormick relates, “ in the stern-sheets of the 
boat, on the port side of the quarterdeck, to take a 
sketch of one of the most novel and extraordinary 
scenes I, or anyone else, ever witnessed. The day 
was cloudless, a bright sun, in a clear, blue sky, the 
rays of which, falling on the barrier, gave a beautiful 
effect to its steep, indented sides, the various angles 
and abutments of which stood boldly out in relief, 
alternately in light and shade, forming a long, zigzag. 


QUARTERS ON THE ICE-FIELDS. 

perpendicular wall of ice, upwards of 100 feet in height, 
extending from S. 40 W. to N. 21 W. Along its 
base numerous fragments of ice, of every form and 
size, were scattered or piled together in the wildest 
confusion, in many places appearing as if quarried 
out, leaving recesses in these stupendous cliffs, hol¬ 
lowed out by the terrific power of those heavy seas 
which gales of winds have set in motion when sweep¬ 
ing over the vast and mighty surface of the southern 
ocean, the sea in front of the barrier being covered 
with ice of the pancake pattern, and amongst which 
the ship was hove-to. The extreme of the barrier tc 



































GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


i8o 

the right had the horizon studded with bergs, both 
large and small, resembling, as the sun’s light felt 
upon them, so many white marble buildings in the 
distance. To the left a huge berg had posted itself 
in solitary grandeur in front of the barrier, inside of 
which we passed at 7.15 p.m. In again making sail, 
we ran along the latter at about a league distant, forc¬ 
ing our way through vast quantities of thick, pancake 
ice, which became thinner and thinner as we increased 
our distanced. Saw two or three small penguins on 
it, rising and falling with its waving motion. 

“ Just as we had made sail, our consort, the Terror, 
which we had run nearly hull down, came up with us, 
and went about close under our stern. Our Latitude 
here was 78° 7', the Terror making it 78° 9', so that 
taking the mean of the two observations, would place 
the face of the barrier in 78° 8', Long. 161'’ 27', and 
that we have attained about some half a dozen miles 
higher latitude than last season, our further progress 
towards the Pole being checked by the barrier. About 
130 miles further to the eastward the summit of the 
barrier could be seen from the masthead looking 
like a vast plain of ice in one direction having much 
the appearance of land in the distance.” 

On the 12th of March the two ships came into col¬ 
lision, and the Terror carried away the bowsprit and 
fore topmast of the Erebus, while a stupendous iceberg 
loomed in terrific grandeur high over their mast¬ 
heads. The Erebtis with her head sails a cumbrous 
wreck was drifting in the surf that raged around the 
base of the berg, and nothing but the under-tow saved 
her from being dashed to pieces against its hard blue 
sides, till the delicate manoeuvre of a steamboat was 
successfully executed. At this time they were in 
Latitude 60® 12' S.; and on the 23d sighted Beaucheve 
Island, after having been out of sight of land for 136 
days. 

So ended Ross’s second attempt. 

On December 17, 1842, the Erebus and Terror 
weighed from East Falkland Island for the third and 
last time, and on the 24th met their first iceberg. On 
the 28th, they sighted Louis Philippe Land. 

It appeared from the deck and ahead, a bank of 
misty clouds suspended over it, which rendered its 
outline, clad as it was in one dense wreath of snow, 
very indistinct. About a league from its eastern ex¬ 
tremity a snow-clad islet appeared resembling a berg 
on the distant horizon. They were now really encom¬ 
passed by bergs, some of them of huge magnitude, 
and in every direction around the horizon. 

As they ran along the land about 8 P. M., it had the 
appearance of one vast, continuous bank of snow ; 


perfectly smooth in outline as a snow-wreath every¬ 
where, save where it showed the action of the waves, 
at the margin of the sea, where bergs had been sep¬ 
arated from it, J rom the centre it gradually sloped 
down to a point, running out very low and long to 
either extremity of the island. In one bearing only 
could a particle of the land itself be seen, and that 
was at the highest elevation of the ridge, appearing 
like two very small oval hummocks close together. 

As they neared the southern extremity, five black¬ 
looking, small, low islands formed a chain at various 
distances from the low point, and in the midst of a 
labyrinth of bergs; some of these so darkly shaded as 
to be with difficulty distinguished from the islands 
themselves at a distance. 

They passed the last of them, distant some six or 
seven miles, at midnight. The highest part of the 
mainland was estimated at 2,000 feet, and they passed 
within about three leagues of it. Many whales were 
spouting, and there was a seal on the top of a berg, 
also a chionis and a lestris. Penguins were cawing 
and quacking in all directions, sometimes jumping out 
of the water like skip-jacks, and moving along in a 
line or single file like fish. On one berg McCor¬ 
mick noticed upwards of 100 collected on the summit. 

They were not able on this, as on the previous 
voyages, to cross the Antarctic Circle on New Year’s 
Day, of 1843, but were still between Louis Philippe 
Land and the dense ice-pack. Jouville Land and 
Pyramidal Island were not far off. During the rest of 
the month little progress was made, but on February 
14th they reached their highest Latitude, 65® 6', in 
Longitude 41® 51', and the 18th completed the circum¬ 
navigation of the globe. On March ist they crossed 
the Antarctic Circle, too late for much work, but, as 
usual, within the charmed circle the weather was fine, 
the sky blue and cloudless, and the sun bright, and a 
magnificent sunset greeted them on their arrival. 

Both cutters were lowered at i P.M., and the two 
captains left their ships to superintend the deep 
soundings. After running about 4,000 fathoms of line 
off the reel, which occupied an hour and fifty minutes, 
no bottom was obtained, and 250 fathoms of one inch, 
and 3,750 fathoms of three-quarter inch, with a pig of 
ballast was expended. The current ran 0° 3' per hour. 
Whilst the boats were away sounding the doctor shot 
a blue petrel from the ship’s deck, but it fell into the 
sea, drifted astern, and was lost, which was vexatious, 
for this was the first bird of the kind shot throughout 
the whole period of the expedition. They are never 
met with on the ice-pack. Several whales were seen, 
but birds were very scarce. 


GREAT ARCTIC TRAVELLERS. 


“ Saturday, 4th, gloomy day, but wind fair for the 
south; yet we are shaping a southwesterly course to 
avoid the track of our enterprising predecessor, Wed¬ 
dell. This prejudice on the part of the commander 
of the expedition is to be deplored; but from the first 
there has been a disposition not to follow in the track 
of others, which, together with having frittered away 
the best part of the season in the vain effort to force 
a passage between the perilous chain of stranded 
bergs, and the broken land of Louis Phillipe, mainly 
for the sake of a display of some new land of a trifling 
character on the chart, cost us the season, and 
ultimately proved fatal to our attaining even so high 
a latitude as that of Weddell himself; apart from the 
daily risk to the ships, knocking about for weeks 
together in narrow channels and pools of water, beset 
with strong currents, pent up between a chain of 
grounded bergs, and a most dangerous coast. Indeed, 
I believe there were few on board either of the ships, 
if they candidly expressed an opinion, ever entertained 
the shadow of a hope that we could ever make our 
way further south through the inextricable difficulties 
of a course so ill-advisedly adopted, and so pertina¬ 
ciously followed up in this, our last attempt, to reach 
the South Pole.” 

On the 5th the ships bore up on their final depar¬ 
ture from the ice regions where they had now passed 
three seasons; on the iith they recrossed the Ant¬ 
arctic Circle and shaped their course for the Cape of 
Good Hope. 

Dr. McCormick, the zodlogist of the expedition, 
thus sums up the results of this third attempt to 
search the Antarctic Pole : 

“ I can only repeat my own conviction that our 
main want of success too evidently rested with the 
course we had been so unfortunate to adopt, rather 
than follow in the wake of Weddell, who had, with 
limited means at his disposal, attained the high lati¬ 
tude of 74“, with a fine open sea, free from ice as far 
as the eye could reach in the horizon view; and had 
not the interests of his owners in his small vessels, 
ostensibly employed in the seal fishery, hampered him 
with responsibility, he might probably have made a 
much nearer approach to the Pole. His meridian 
was 40^ ours SS** W., the meridian of Cape Horn, on 


181 

which we made the attempt, along a very intricate 
navigation of the shores of that group of islands, called 
in the charts South Shetlands, barren islands and 
rocks flanked by tiers of huge icebergs aground be¬ 
tween which and this forbidding, desolate, ironbound, 
coast, rapid currents ran like a race through the 
narrow and often tortuous channels, with which, to¬ 
gether with tempestuous gales, amid snow-storms, 
sleet, and fogs, both ships had to buffet for so many 
weeks, in the vain hope of forcing a passage through 
to a higher latitude, and the temptation offered for 
this adding perhaps some few new lands to the chart. 
But after all our efforts the short navigable season 
closed upon us and we were no nearer the Pole than 
on the day on which we first made the ill-omened 
land. 

“ A hopeless attempt was at last made to get upon 
the track of Weddell, which, from the lateness of the 
season and unfavorable winds, was now so encum¬ 
bered with vast drifting packs of ice, amid dense fogs 
and gales, that it barred our course, and precluded 
all chance of even attaining the latitude of our pre¬ 
decessor, and with no small difficulty that of Captain 
Cook in 71", when we had to bear up and bid a 
final adieu to Antarctic lands, packs, bergs, and 
seas. 

“ Happily for us, the attempt in our first voyage south 
was rewarded by the discovery of a mighty southern 
continent, dwarfing the quarters of the Old World, 
and rivalling the new one in its stupendous magnitude 
and general aspect, capping the Pole by lofty moun¬ 
tain ranges, sustaining altitudes varying from 5,000 to 
upwards of 12,000 feet; two magnificent volcanoes 
crowning all, arrayed in an armor of everlasting ice ; 
a glaciation as complete as ever occurred to the oppo¬ 
site hemisphere in ages past. The perpetual snow 
line descends to the very beach. The constant pres¬ 
ence of ice and snow keeps the thermometer at the 
freezing point; consequently no kind of vegetation 
exists, not even a seaweed, on its barren shores; and, 
but for the animal life which animates the ocean, 
whales, seals, penguins, etc., and sea birds, winging 
their way through the air, or skimming the ice- 
embossed surface of the deep all would be as desolate 
and silent as the tomb.” 


THE END. 


247 








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